You Live, You Learn, You Love
by kp83
Summary: At seventeen, the most important things in soon-to-be high school senior Santana Lopez's life is school, Cheerios, her family and friends, and dreaming up ways to escape her small town. Then one night she meets a girl that needs her help, and in a blink of an eye, everything in her carefree life starts to change. AU Brittana, rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**You Live, You learn, You Love**

A/N: Hey! So here's the start of a new AU Brittana fic. It's is going to have a little more drama and angst than most of my other fics, but for you fluff lovers (like me) there will still be plenty of fluffy Brittana moments. I don't know if anything in this fic will be triggering for anyone. I don't think it will get too dramatic or angsty, but just to be on the safe side, I thought I'd give a heads up. Hopefully, it will be a good balance for everyone.

 **Chapter 1**

The middle of June was Santana's favorite time of year. School always let out the third week and she loved summer. This year, the only plans she had was to relax and have fun before senior year started. She was lying in bed, in-between sleep and awake when her mother came into her bedroom the first day of summer break.

"Mija, it's almost noon." Maribel said. "It's such a pretty day out; you should be out doing something, not wasting it lying in bed."

Santana rolled over towards her mother, yawning and stretching. "I was up late last night."

"I know. I heard you in here laughing." Maribel said with a chuckle. "At first I thought you were having a sleep over with Quinn, but I didn't see her car in the driveway when I got up this morning. What was so funny?"

"I just watched a couple of movies." Santana said and sat up. "Quinn was going to stay over, but her sister came into town for the night, so she stayed at home."

"Hmm, well that was probably for the best. What are your plans for today?" Maribel asked.

"Quinn and the guys are coming over in a little while to hang out by the pool and then she and I are going to hang out with some of the girls from the squad."

"That sounds like fun." Maribel said. "Just remember that the boys-"

"Stay down stairs and out of the bedrooms." Santana said cutting her mother off. She knew the drill.

"Good." Maribel said with a smile. "Are you spending the night here or at Quinn's?" Maribel asked.

"Probably at Quinn's." Santana said pretending to look at her phone so she wouldn't have to lie to her mother while looking her in the eye.

The 'hang out with some of the girls from the squad' plan was actually a party at Puck's uncle's house, which meant there would be alcohol, and she and Quinn would end up spending the night there with their boyfriends. She knew if she told her mother that, she would disapprove and wouldn't let her go.

"Okay then. Just be sure to be safe while you're out tonight. It's supposed to rain."

Santana nodded and looked back at her mother with a smile. "I will Mama."

She didn't plan to be driving much that night anyways. Once she got to the party and had a drink, she was going to be there for the rest of the night. After she lost her father to a drunk driver a few years ago, she was against anyone drinking and driving.

"Alright. Well I'm off to work." Maribel said and kissed Santana on her forehead.

"Wait you're going in now?" Santana asked confused and looked at the clock again. Her mother was an ER nurse and her shifts were usually from seven to seven.

"Yes." Maribel sighed because it was her day off and she had been looking forward to it. "A few nurses called in sick and apparently the ER has been busy today so they called me in for overtime. I'm working from one to one today."

"Ugh, that sucks." Santana said.

"Tell me about it." Maribel said rolling her eyes. "Call my cell if you need anything."

"Okay." Santana said and she watched her mother leave the room.

After a few more stretches, Santana got out of bed and walked the short distance down the hallway to her bathroom so she could to take a quick shower to rinse off her body and brush her teeth. When she was finished, she typed out text messages to her boyfriend Marcus and Quinn to let them know that she was awake and that they could come over whenever they wanted.

By the time that she was finished eating breakfast, or rather lunch considering the time; she heard a knock on the front door. She opened the door and saw Marcus standing there.

"Hey." He said and leaned in to give her a kiss on her lips.

Santana returned the kiss, but when Marcus went to deepen it, she pulled back. "Hey." She said with a smile and opened the door further so he could come in the house.

"You look great." He said as he looked her up and down in her black bikini.

"Thanks. It's a new suit."

"It's nice. Am I the first one here?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Then come here." Marcus said and pulled Santana into his arms. "I think we should take advantage of any time to ourselves that we can get since I'm going to be gone for the _whole_ summer."

"Umm, I don't think now is a good time." Santana said and Marcus pouted. Santana quickly pecked his pout, causing him to smile again. "I don't think it's a good idea to start anything right now. You know my mom's rule about you being in my room and I feel bad enough that I already lied to her today about spending the night with you at Puck's party. She thinks I'm spending the night at Quinn's."

"Okay. You're absolutely right, as always." Marcus said and released her from his arms. "I can't wait for tonight though. It's been a while since we've had the whole night to ourselves."

"I know. Coach worked us so hard the last few months that I've hardly had time for anything." Santana said grabbing her sunglasses and a bag from a table by the back door and led him into the yard to the pool. "Plus, Quinn and Mike will be here any minute and I really don't want to be in the middle of something when they show up."

"You know, I still can't believe that Quinn's dating Chang." Marcus said with a little chuckle and took off his white t-shirt, showing off his muscular torso. "Don't get me wrong. Mike's my boy, but they just seem like such an odd couple."

Santana rolled her eyes, because they were a little odd, but Santana liked Mike and Quinn together. "I think it's great that she's dating a nice guy after Puck cheated on her with anything that would give him attention."

"Okay, that's true." Marcus said with a nod. "What Puck did was so wrong. I told him that was messed up too. I would never do that to you."

"I know you wouldn't. You're a nice guy too."

"You know my mom or sisters wouldn't have it any other way." Marcus said. He had grown up in a house with a single mother and four older sisters, so he quickly learned what was acceptable and what wasn't when it came to girls.

"Oh I know." Santana said with a little laugh. She knew his sisters and mother well.

She met Marcus in second grade and since then they were there for everything in each other's lives, including when his father left in third grade and when her father died freshman year. Along with Quinn, he was her best friend. They were really close, but when Marcus asked her out on a date a few months ago, she was surprised. She had never thought about him in any other way than a friend, but after thinking about it, she couldn't find a good reason not to give him a chance, so she agreed to a date.

When they went out on their first date, Marcus, being the sensitive guy that he was, laid everything out on the table by telling her that his feelings for her had changed from just friends to romantic the summer before freshman year. The loss of her father and his shyness had held him back until he couldn't hold in his feelings anymore.

Santana thought about that, and in the time that Marcus had been hiding his feelings for her, she had dated or slept with a few guys, but she didn't have any feelings for a single one of them, and she knew they didn't have any feelings for her. They mainly used each other to improve their social status and reputations at school. She knew Marcus would be different though. He had actual feelings attached to his attraction to her. She cared deeply for Marcus, she just wasn't sure that it was more than friendly, but she thought if anyone was going to be the right guy for her, it would be him, so she decided to give dating him a chance.

They had been together about three months, and Santana had to admit that he was the best boyfriend that she had ever had. They had a lot of fun together, but she also had to admit that something seemed off. She knew that whatever was off was with her though, because Marcus was everything that a girl wanted in a guy. He was smart, handsome, and genuinely caring, but even with all of that, Santana still didn't feel much when they kissed, or on the few occasions that it happened, slept together. She felt more with Marcus than she had with any other guy, which was saying something since she felt nothing before, but it still didn't have that spark or passion that people spoke about when they talked about sex. She thought that maybe she was still trying to transition from seeing him as a friend to seeing him as a boyfriend, so she thought if she gave her relationship with Marcus more time it would get there.

"Hey guys!" Quinn and Mike said when they came through the back door of the house.

"Hey." Santana and Marcus said at the same time.

"I'm so glad its summer! No Coach Sylvester, I can sleep in every day, and I can lay out as much as possible." Quinn said setting her bag on a lounge chair next to Santana.

"You need to lay out, you're kinda pasty." Santana teased.

"She's right, girl. You're like a ghost." Marcus said with a little chuckle.

"It's glaring." Santana joked and pretended to block her eyes from the 'glare'.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Quinn said in a huff. "You're Hispanic, Marcus is black, and Mike is Chinese; you all have natural tans. I'm Irish; we don't tan well. I'll have to sunbathe all summer just to get a little golden."

"I like your creamy skin." Mike cooed and kissed Quinn on her cheek.

"Thanks." Quinn said flashing Mike a smile.

"Ugh, stop being mushy." Santana said and threw a towel at Quinn.

Quinn caught the towel and stuck her tongue out at Santana before turning back to Mike. "Can you help me put some tanning oil on my back?" She asked in a sweet tone.

"Sure." Mike said and happily sat down next to Quinn on her lounger.

"You need any help with putting on any oil or lotion?" Marcus asked with a smile.

"Umm, yeah. Thanks." Santana said. She hadn't thought to ask him to help her. She reached into her bag for a bottle of low SPF lotion to give to him.

"I can't wait for tonight." Quinn chirped and Mike hummed in agreement as he rubbed oil on her back and shoulders.

"Yeah, it should be fun." Marcus said.

"Puck said he stocked up on the liquor and his cousin got him a keg too, so it's going to be nuts tonight." Mike said. "We should make sure we get our rooms before everyone gets drunk and takes them."

"Oh you best believe if there is no open rooms, Snixx is going to show up and kick some people out." Santana said snapping her fingers. She wasn't playing around. "I am NOT sleeping on the floor or the couch in the living room with a hundred drunk asses."

Everyone chuckled at Santana.

"I love it when Snixx comes out." Marcus said rubbing Santana's shoulders with lotion. "As long as it's not directed at me." He added at the end.

"See that Chang, Marcus knows to stay on his girl's good side." Santana said.

"I have no intention of getting on Quinn's bad side. She has the power to cut a bitch with just a look." He said.

"It's a gift." Quinn said with a smirk and leaned back to give Mike a peck on his lips. "So anyways, I know we talked about riding together tonight but I didn't bring my clothes with me. My mom was being a pain about me and Mike having dinner with her tonight, so we have to go home first, so we'll just meet you at the party." She said to Santana.

"My mom told me to come home before I go out tonight too, so I didn't bring my stuff either." Marcus said. "I can come back and pick you up afterwards though."

"No, it's okay. I'll just meet you there." Santana said with a flip of her hand. Marcus' house was actually closer to Puck's uncle's house, so it didn't make sense for him to come back for her.

She didn't mind driving on her own.

-()-()-()-()-

Later that night, when Santana left for the party, she was running behind. She texted Marcus and Quinn to let them know she was going to be late before she ran from her house to the car in the rain, cursing the whole way. It had been raining for a few hours, but it started after everyone had already left her house to go back home from hanging out by the pool. She had an umbrella, so her dress and hair wouldn't get wet, but her strappy heels did nothing to keep her feet dry. As she got in the car, the rain started to lessen and by the time she got to the end of her street, the rain had stopped completely.

"Of course, now it stops raining." Santana muttered as she wiggled her wet toes.

She drove through the streets of Lima, and as she passed the hospital, she felt a pang of guilt, remembering the lie that she told her mother. She shook herself to get rid of that feeling and started to sing along to the radio to distract her mind as she drove to Puck's uncle's house who lived in a rural area north of Lima.

She was in her own little world as she drove down the dark two-lane road, but she was taken out of her thoughts when she saw the car a quarter of a mile in front of her suddenly swerve into the other lane. It caused the car that was coming the other direction to veer off the road and into the tree line.

"Holy shit!" Santana yelled as she watched it happen.

She saw the car that caused the accident swerve back into their own lane, but they didn't stop, they kept going.

"Mother fucker!" Santana yelled and she was momentarily torn as to what to do…follow the car to get the license plate number so she could turn them in for causing and leaving the scene of an accident, or stop to help the person in the car.

In a split second, Santana made her decision. She parked her car on the side of the road and threw her keys in the passenger seat. She turned on her flashers and grabbed her cell phone before she exited the car. She looked to make sure there was no traffic, and she didn't see any coming in either direction. She couldn't even see the brake lights of the car that caused the accident anymore. It was pitch black. The only reason that she could see the wrecked car was because the taillights were on, as well as the one headlight that didn't break from the impact. She called 9-1-1 as she ran across the street and into the grass towards the car. Her stiletto heels sunk into the wet ground, but she didn't care, she just ran to the car as fast as she could.

" _9-1-1, please state your emergency."_ The operator said.

"I just saw a car on State Road 115 cross into the other lane and it caused a car to run off the road and into the trees. The other car didn't stop, they just left."

" _Okay, where are you on 115."_ The dispatcher asked.

"Um, just a few minutes south of U.S. 30." Santana said as she came up to the car and looked inside the broken driver side window to see a blonde girl unconscious in the seat, covered in glass and blood running down her face from a cut on her forehead. Santana's concern and already heightened adrenaline spiked after that. "I can see a girl in the seat and she's hurt! The airbags didn't deploy. She has a bad cut on her head and she's passed out!" She said with urgency.

" _I'm dispatching emergency medical personnel to your location right now."_

Despite the front of the car being smashed in by a tree, the engine was still running. Santana opened the door to the car and the overhead light came on. She reached inside to turn off the engine as a precaution. She wasn't sure if anything would happen, but she had seen enough movies to worry about it catching on fire.

"I turned off the car." Santana said adjusting the phone in-between her head and her shoulder. She took the girl's wrist in one of her hands to check for a pulse and she held the other under her nose to see if she was still breathing. "She's breathing, and she has a pulse, but she's passed out."

" _Okay, that's good. Do you have a description of the car that caused the accident?"_

"No!" Santana cried. "It was too dark and too far ahead of me to see its license plate or what kind of car it was."

" _That's alright. What direction was it going?"_

"North, towards U.S. 30." Santana said and then she got mad. "They could've gone in any direction. They're going to get away with this aren't they? What if they're drunk and they hurt someone else?"

" _Miss, I've already dispatched five patrol units. Two are coming to you and the other three are going to fan out north of your location and look for anyone driving suspiciously."_ The dispatcher said and it made Santana feel a little better.

Santana, who hadn't taken her eyes off the girls in front of her, looked around her and she couldn't see anybody coming their way. "How long until an ambulance gets here? She needs help now."

" _They're about seven minutes out."_

"Shit!" Santana spat, realizing that was probably an accurate estimate because they weren't close to town. The girl's wound was bleeding badly and Santana didn't know what seven minutes would bring them. She took one last look at the girl and then started to run back to her car. "There's a lot of blood. I have a first aid kit in my car. I'm going to get some gauze and hold it to her wound to try to slow the bleeding until they can get here."

" _Yes, do that. Just check the wound to make sure there isn't any glass in it before you put pressure on it and be careful about moving her because we don't know if she has any other injuries."_

"Okay." Santana said pulling up the lever beside her driver side door to pop the trunk.

She grabbed the large, custom first aid kit that her mother had made, and she silently thanked her for making sure that she had one as ran back to the car. She went to the passenger side and sat in the seat, putting her phone on speaker and placing it on the dashboard so that she had the use of both of her hands. Her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding in her chest, but she managed to open three packages of thick gauze pads. She looked at the wound and didn't see any glass on the surface, so she gently placed the three pads on the girl's forehead, never thinking to use the latex gloves that were in the kit, and applied pressure to the gash.

" _How's she doing?"_ The dispatcher asked after he heard the rustling on the line calm down.

"About the same I think." Santana said looking around. "Her right foot is caught between the brake and accelerator and her left wrist looks swollen."

" _I'll send a message to let them know."_

"Come on, come on, come on." Santana muttered. Time seemed to slow to a stop and she felt as if the ambulance would never come. She still hadn't seen another car since the accident happened. "Come on, you have to be okay." She pleaded.

As Santana sat there, she just looked at the girl. Her white t-shirt and face were covered in blood, and she couldn't stand to see her like that, so she reached into the kit, and pulled out two more gauze pads. With her free hand, and her teeth, she opened the seal on a saline bottle and poured the solution on one of the pads in her lap. She didn't even care that it was getting on her dress. She wiped the girls face and neck clean with the wet pad, and then dried it with the other one. She threw the dirty gauze pads on the floor of the driver's side.

She looked at the girl again, and with the gash on her forehead covered by her hand, she saw that the girl's face was mostly untouched. She only had a few tiny nicks from where the glass had hit her when it broke.

"God, she's beautiful." Santana whispered, noticing that the girl was close to her own age. "Come on, you have to wake up. You have to be okay." She muttered over and over again to the girl, and after a few minutes, she started to stir.

"She waking up." Santana called out to the dispatcher and she was happy to see movement from the girl.

" _Try to keep her calm and don't let her move."_

When the girl opened her eyes, she looked right at Santana with her worried face, her once perfect hair blown about haphazardly, and blood on her hands and yellow dress, and she smiled at her.

"Is this heaven?" The girl asked and it surprised Santana how calm she was considering she had been in a serious accident. "Are you angel?"

Santana let out a sound that was a mix between a laugh and a relieved sigh, and she took the girl's hand into her own. "No, you're alive, but you're hurt. Try to stay still. Help is coming."

The girl closed her eyes, but after a few long moments, she looked at Santana again and tried to tighten her grip on her hand, but she was too weak, so Santana did it for her. "Are you sure you aren't an angel. You're so pretty."

This time Santana did laugh. "You're going to be okay, we're going to get you to a hospital soon. Can you tell me your name?"

The girl blinked a few times, but just looked at Santana as if she didn't know what to say.

"My name is Santana. Can you tell me your name?" She tried again.

The girl smiled lazily. "That's a pretty angel name."

"Thanks. I'm sure you have a pretty name too, can you tell it to me?"

"I'm thirsty." The girl slurred and tried to sit up but Santana stopped her.

"Hold on, sit still for me." Santana said and looked around. She saw a bottle of water on the floor by her feet. "She's thirsty; can I give her some water?" She said to the dispatcher.

" _Yes, but don't give her too much."_

The girl's eyes opened wide at hearing the dispatcher's voice. "Who's that? It is God?"

Santana tightened her grip on the girl's hand to help calm her. "It's the 9-1-1 dispatcher. They're getting you help."

" _Three minutes or less and Lima Fire and Rescue will be there."_ The dispatcher said.

Santana slipped her hand out of the girls, but as soon as she did, the girl found her strength and grabbed Santana's wrist, holding on tight. "No! Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone." She yelled panicked.

"I'm not going anywhere." Santana said in a soft voice to try to calm her. "I just need to let go for a couple of seconds so I can get your water bottle so I can give you a drink."

"You promise you aren't going to leave me?" The girl asked with the saddest eyes Santana had ever seen. It pulled at Santana's heart and made it drop into her stomach, and at that moment, she knew she would do whatever the girl wanted if it helped comfort her.

"I pinky promise." Santana said and hooked her pinky with the girl's.

The girl searched Santana eyes for few moments before she nodded and let go of Santana pinky, but she put her hand on Santana's upper thigh so she could still touch her.

Santana stretched to reach the water bottle without removing the pressure that she had on the girl's forehead. It was an awkward angle, so she had to use her foot to move it closer to her so she could grab it. Her shoes were muddy from walking around in the wet grass and some of the mud got on the bottle. She grabbed the saline solution and squirted it over the bottle so the mud would rinse off. She put the bottle between her knees, opened the bottle with one hand, and then she lifted it to the girl's mouth.

"Careful now. Don't move your neck too quickly." She said and the girl tilted her head a little and Santana poured a little water in her mouth.

The girl swallowed hard. "More please."

"Okay, just a little bit." Santana said and poured a little more water in her mouth before she set the water bottle in the cup holder and took her the girl's hand again.

"Thanks." The girl drawled and her eyes were drooping. "I'm sleepy."

"Hey you have to stay awake for me." Santana said and tightened her hold on her hand.

"Just a quick nap Santana, and then we can frolic through the clouds with the unicorns."

Santana didn't know what to say to that, so she just decided to play along. "Okay, we can play with the unicorns, but you have to stay awake so we can do that. Can you tell me your name?"

"You're so nice…and _pretty_. I really like you. Can we be friends Santana?" The girl said sounding woozy and she closed her eyes, but Santana shook her hand and she opened them again.

"Of course we can be friends. I like you too." Santana said and then she thought the girl's injuries were causing her to have a hard time focusing on what she was asking her. "Hey," Santana said softly, releasing their clasped hands, and lifted her hand to the girl's cheek. She rubbed it with her thumb. "Can you look at me for a second? Can you look me in the eyes?"

The girl lifted her heavy eyes and looked at Santana. They stared at each other intently for a few moments, and when Santana was sure that she had the girl's attention, she asked her again. "My name is Santana and you're my new friend, but I don't know your name. Can you tell me your name please?"

The girl just gave a tired smile and nodded. "Brittany…Pierce."

"You're name is Brittany? That's a really pretty name." Santana said with a smile. "Can you tell me where you're from?"

Brittany nodded, but before she could tell Santana, her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side.

"Brittany." Santana said but she didn't get an answer. "Brittany." She tried again. "Brittany!" She said more urgently and lightly shook her hand, but Brittany wouldn't open her eyes.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Whew, so that's the first chapter. Like I said in my first author's note, this fic will have a little more drama than my other fics, so I hope everyone likes it so far. If you get a chance, please send me your thoughts. I love seeing your feedback. I hope to be able to update this fic every two to three weeks.

Also for those of you reading my other ongoing fics, I'm almost done writing the update to **High Frequency Romance: Glimpses** , so keep an eye out for that!

I'd like to send a huge thank you to my beta **naynay1963** for all of her support. I had a few options for the title that I was considering, but they weren't quite right, so she helped me out by channeling Alanis Morissette, which I think turned out to be the best.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Fuck!" Santana spat in frustration. She let go of Brittany's hand and gently rubbed her cheek again. "Brittany, please open your eyes." There was no response. "Come on Brittany, please wake up." Still, no response. "No, come on you have to wake up Brittany. You have to be okay. We have to play with the unicorns, just like you wanted. Wake up!" She pleaded sounding more frantic, and felt for a pulse. There was a weak one, but there was no response from Brittany. "No, no, no, this can't be happening. Wake up, Brittany! Please talk to me." There was still was no response. "She's passed out again!" She called to the dispatcher, but never took her eyes off Brittany. She just rubbed Brittany's cheek with her thumb hoping she could feel it. "Where the hell are they? She could be dying and they're still not here!" She growled.

Waiting for the ambulance had been the longest seven minutes of her life.

" _They should be there any minute."_

Santana looked down the road towards Lima. She could see the red flashing lights coming her way in the distance and she sighed in relief. "I see them! They're here."

" _Okay good. Then I guess you and I are finished since the ambulance is there. You did really well, Santana. You truly helped that girl."_

"Thanks for all your help." Santana said. "I gotta go, they just pulled up."

" _No problem. Good luck."_ The dispatcher said and then disconnected the call.

Santana watched as two EMTs jumped out of the van and then two police cars and a fire truck pulled up. All of a sudden, there was a lot of light, and she could see everything around her. She unclicked Brittany's seatbelt so the EMTs wouldn't have to take time to do it.

"She's got a bad cut on her head. I've been keeping the pressure on it to slow down the bleeding, but she's almost bled through three gauze pads. She woke up a few minutes ago and she was talking, but she passed out again." Santana said quickly when a female EMT came over to Brittany's side. "Her foot is caught in between the pedals and her left wrist looks swollen."

"Okay. "Thank you, we'll take it from here." The woman said and put her gloved hand over the gauze that was on Brittany's forehead.

Santana quickly threw the saline solution back in her kit and closed it before she grabbed her phone and the kit with the hand that wasn't wet with Brittany's blood and got out of the car so the other EMT could take her place.

She walked over to her car and a police officer approached her.

"Miss, I'm Officer Ramirez, are you alright?"

"Yeah." She nodded, but she wasn't okay.

She was shaking slightly from adrenaline and she was so worried that Brittany wouldn't wake up that her stomach was in knots and it was making her nauseous, but she couldn't do anything else for her. She knew the EMTs would be the best ones to help her until she could get to the hospital.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"Uh, yeah." Santana looked back to the wrecked car. She couldn't see Brittany past the EMT. She looked down at her hands and they were both stained red, but only one was still wet and at that moment, she couldn't stand to look at it. "Can I wash my hands? I think there's antibacterial wipes in the case." She said and motioned for Officer Ramirez to take the kit.

"Sure. Hang on a second." He said softly and reached over to take it. Once he had found the wipes, he opened one and handed it to Santana. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Santana said softly, but she didn't look at him, she kept her eyes on the car ahead of her, hoping to see Brittany awake. She wiped her hands and then the officer gave her another wipe and she rubbed it over her hands again.

After Officer Ramirez took the soiled wipes away from her, he opened her driver side door and ushered her to sit down. "Can you tell me your name and what happened?"

It took a second for Santana to realize that he was talking to her. "Huh? What?" She said finally looking away from Brittany's car.

"Can you tell me your name and what happened?" He repeated.

Santana nodded and started to tell him the story. She was almost through when she saw the EMTs move Brittany from the car to a stretcher. They lifted the stretcher to full height and were in the process of rolling her to the ambulance when all of a sudden Brittany started to move and the next thing Santana knew she was screaming in terror and trying to get up, but she was strapped to the stretcher.

One of the EMTs tried to calm her down, but it didn't help. "Who are you? Where's Santana?" Brittany yelled. "Santana help me!"

Santana heard Brittany and immediately ran over to her. She was surprised that Brittany even remembered her.

"I'm here Brittany! I'm here!" She said taking her hand and she noticed that Brittany now had a neck brace on and a new gauze pad taped to her forehead.

"I thought you weren't going to leave me. I woke up and I couldn't find you." She said clinging to Santana.

"I didn't leave you. I was here the whole time, but I had to let the EMTs help you." Santana said and rubbed her free hand up and down her arm to help soothe her. "They're going to take you to the hospital. You're going to be okay."

"Can you come with me? Please don't leave me alone, I'm scared."

Santana looked up at the EMTs, hoping they would say yes, but they shook their heads. "We really don't have room in the back of the van." The female EMT said.

"I can't just leave her!" Santana snapped. "She's scared out of her mind. I can't leave her like this."

"I can take you to the hospital and you can meet her there." Officer Ramirez said. "I'll need to question Brittany when she's calmer, so I'm going the hospital anyways."

"What about my car?" Santana asked.

"My partner Officer Fitz will drive it to the hospital. I don't think you're in any condition to drive right now."

"Okay." Santana said and looked down at Brittany. "Britt, I can't ride with you in the ambulance, but I will be right behind you with the police and I'll meet you at the hospital. Is that okay?" She said giving Brittany's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Brittany looked around her at everyone standing beside her and then she looked at Santana. "You promise you'll be there with me?" She said and the concern of being left alone was still thick in her voice.

Santana nodded and leaned down, kissing Brittany softly on her cheek, hoping it would assure her that she wasn't going to leave. "I promise."

Brittany searched Santana's face when she stood back up and then nodded. "Okay." She said and laid her head back down.

"Okay." Santana said with a smile. "Do you have a purse that you want me to bring to the hospital?"

"It was in the back seat," Brittany said, "but I don't know now."

"I'll look for it before we leave."

"Thanks Santana."

"Okay, let's get you to the hospital." One of the EMTs said and everyone moved away from the stretcher so they could roll Brittany to the ambulance.

Santana went over to Brittany's car and looked in the back seat. She saw a pillow, blanket, and couple of books scattered over the back of the car. She didn't see a purse, but when she moved the blanket out of the way, she found a purple purse with its meager contents, a wallet, hairbrush, gum, and cell phone spilled on the floor. She quickly put them in the purse and just before she was going to leave, she noticed something yellow sticking out from under the pillow. She lifted it and saw a stuffed duck that looked like it was old, and well worn. Santana thought that it might bring Brittany some comfort, so she grabbed it, and by the time she made her way back to her own car to get her purse and cellphone, she saw the ambulance pull away.

"What are you going to do about her car?" Santana asked.

"The other patrol unit will call a wrecker and have it towed." Officer Ramirez said.

"Can you call Hummel's Auto Shop? My mom really likes them."

"Sure, no problem." Officer Fitz said. "Where are your keys?"

"Umm, I left them in the car." Santana said and Officer Fitz nodded before he went to find them.

Officer Ramirez escorted Santana to his car and opened the passenger side door for her. When they were both in the car, Santana looked out the window at the lights of the ambulance in the distance and the only thing she could think about was Brittany.

"So is she a friend of yours because she sure seemed panicked when she woke up and you weren't there?" Officer Ramirez asked and started the car.

"I've never seen her before tonight, but when she woke up the first time she thought she had died and I was an angel." Santana said.

Officer Ramirez chuckled. "That's sweet. It makes sense though. You were the first person she saw after the accident. You must have been a comforting presence for her."

"Yeah, I guess. I really hope she's going to be okay." Santana said and she forced herself not to think about how she would feel if she weren't okay, because even though she didn't really know Brittany, she knew she would be upset.

"I do too." He said. "Well let's go. I'd hate for Brittany to get to the hospital and think that you aren't going to be there. I don't think she can handle anymore unnecessary stress tonight." He said and put the car into drive, turning on the emergency lights.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want that either." Santana said in a low voice. Just the thought of Brittany panicking again over her absence made her feel sick.

-()-()-()-()-

When Santana and Officer Ramirez arrived at the hospital, they were in time to see the EMTs pulling Brittany out of the ambulance. As soon as Officer Ramirez stopped the car, Santana grabbed her and Brittany's things and ran over to her.

"I'm right here Britt. I told you I wouldn't leave you." Santana said taking Brittany's hand into her own and even though Brittany was wearing an oxygen mask, Santana could see her smile.

Santana was relieved to see that she was still awake. She thought that was a good sign.

They walked into the ambulance entrance of the emergency room and two nurses, one of whom was Maribel, and a tech, met them at the door. Santana had called her mother in the car on the way to the hospital to tell her that she was on her way in.

Maribel took one look at her daughter's appearance, covered in blood, mud, and blades of grass, and she frowned. "Are you okay?" She asked and when Santana nodded, she nodded in return and then turned her attention back to the EMTs.

The EMTs gave them a report about Brittany's condition and when they were finished, they were all ushered to an empty room. Santana tried to let go of Brittany's hand when they entered the room but she got upset again.

"No, please don't go." She cried and Santana could see her lips trembling under the clear mask.

"Brittany, I'm not leaving you, I promise. I just have to move out of the way so the nurses can work." Santana said and Brittany whimpered, tightening her hold on Santana's hand. "Hey, you see this lady?" Santana said softly and pointed to Maribel. "This is my mom." Brittany's eyes widened and her face softened a bit as she looked between them. "I know you're scared, but she's not going to hurt you. She's going to help you."

"Hi Brittany. My name is Maribel Lopez." She said with a warm smile.

"Hi." Brittany said quietly.

"I promise we're going to do everything we can to help you." Maribel said.

"Britt, I'm just going to stand right over there." Santana said pointing to a corner that was out of the way.

Brittany looked between her and Maribel one more time before she nodded and loosened her hold on Santana's hand.

"Thank you Brittany." Maribel said, and flashed a thankful look at her daughter.

Santana moved to the corner and set everything that was in her hands on a chair. She watched as Brittany was transferred from the stretcher to the bed in the room. The EMTs left and immediately the nurses and tech started working on Brittany. Santana wasn't sure what they were doing, but she was amazed at how much they had to do, and how quickly they were doing it. Santana just stared in awe at her mother as she worked, and she had a newfound respect for her and her job.

About half an hour later when things calmed down a bit, Maribel motioned for Santana to come over to the bed.

"Brittany." Maribel said and Brittany turned her eyes to look at her. When she saw Santana standing over her shoulder, she smiled and tried to reach her uninjured hand out to her, but Maribel stopped her. "No, not yet Brittany." She said and Brittany pouted. "Santana is very dirty right now. I just brought her over here so you could see that she is still here. A care partner is going to come for you soon and she is going to take you for a cat scan. I'm going to take Santana to the locker room while you're gone so she can take a shower and put on a change of clothes. When she's done, I'll bring her right back to you. Is that okay?"

Brittany looked to Santana and Santana smiled at her. "Okay." Brittany said.

"I'll be right back." Santana said.

She wasn't thrilled to leave Brittany, just in case something scared her again and she had another moment of panic, but she knew her mother was right. She had to be cleaned up before she could be around Brittany.

Brittany blinked her eyes to acknowledge Santana. Santana went back to the corner to get her purse and then she and Maribel left the room. They didn't say anything to each other as Maribel walked them down the hallways towards the nurse's locker room.

"Hold on a sec." Maribel said as they stopped in front of a storage closet. Maribel disappeared inside and couple of moments later she came out with a fresh pair of green scrubs, slip on shoes, and a plastic bag.

She took Santana to the locker room and over to her locker. She set the stuff in her hands on a bench and then wrapped her daughter in her arms and held her to her tightly. "How are you Mija? Are you okay?"

For the first time since Santana witnessed the accident, she finally felt as if she could breathe and everything hit her at once. She didn't have to be strong in front of her mother, and she just broke down sobbing. "They just ran her off the road…and left her. I thought she was-going-to-die-like-Daddy." She said brokenly through her tears.

"Shhh, it's okay." Maribel said and ran her hand over Santana's back. "You did so well. I'm proud of you." She said swallowing a lump in her throat. "Your dad would have been proud of you too."

Santana nodded and just held on to her mother as she cried out all the stress and fear that she couldn't do in front of Brittany.

When Santana finally calmed down a few minutes later, she released her hold on her mother and wiped her tears from her face. "Is Brittany going to be okay?"

"We'll know more when we get the results from the CAT scan and blood tests. She's going to need some time to recover from her injuries, but I think she'll be okay.

Santana let out a sigh of relief. She was so happy to hear that. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Thank god."

"She's going to have to stay in the hospital for a day or two at least for observation. Do you have a number to call her parents so we can let them know where she is?"

Santana shook her head. "I don't know her parents. I only met her tonight."

Maribel quirked a confused eyebrow. "Oh? I would have thought with the way she was acting towards you and wanting you to stay with her that you two knew each other. I thought you might have been friends from school."

"I was there when she woke up the first time. She thought she was dead and I was an angel. I told her she was alive and that help was coming. She was so scared Mama, I promised her I wouldn't leave her alone. She asked me to be her friend, and I told her I would be. After that, she passed out, but when she woke up again, she freaked out. She only calmed down when she saw me."

Maribel smiled and she nodded. "I can understand that. Let's get you cleaned up. You can put your dirty clothes in this bag and then just throw them away. There's no way you're going to get the dirt and blood out of that dress." She said and pulled a small shower caddy, towel, and a pair of flip-flops from her locker and handed them to her daughter. "Go take a shower. I think these scrubs will fit you, but they might be a little long. I'm going to change into a clean pair of scrubs and then I'm going back to the floor. Do you think you will be able to find your way back?"

"Yeah." Santana said with a nod.

"Okay, Mija." Maribel said and kissed Santana on her forehead before she left.

Santana set her purse in her mother's locker and then took her things into the showers and closed the door behind her. She went into a stall, closed the curtain, and set her things on the small bench in the dry area of the stall. She took her shoes off, and put on her mother's flip-flops. They were a little small for her, but they worked well enough to keep her feet off the shower floor. She stripped out of her clothes and she placed her dress and heels into the bag that her mother had given her. She set her panties and bra to the side to put on after her shower because she thought that they were clean enough to wear again as they weren't soiled with Brittany's blood or dirt.

She turned on the water and when she felt like it was hot enough, she stepped into the water and closed the curtain behind her. She just stood there and let the hot water wash over her tense muscles. The events of the night kept replaying in her mind, and Santana felt some of the stress that she had felt earlier come back to her as she saw Brittany's bloodied or panicked face. She did find some comfort though because she knew that Brittany was going to be okay. She trusted that her mother wouldn't have told her so if she thought that there was a chance that Brittany wouldn't be okay. After a few minutes, Santana shook herself from the harrowing memories. She knew that no good would come from thinking about them, so she tried to concentrate on the fact that Brittany was alive and on her way to recovery.

As she washed her hair and body, she wondered who Brittany was, and if she would be able to see her outside of the hospital. She felt a connection to Brittany and a longing to know about her. She guessed that it might have been that they experienced a traumatic event together. It was natural to feel that pull with someone after something like that, but she couldn't help but to think that there was something more to it than that, because when she told Brittany she liked her and that she wanted to be her friend, she knew she meant that, but she wasn't sure why. She didn't know anything about Brittany other than her name.

Santana stayed under the hot water until her body felt less tense, and then she turned off the shower. She dried herself off, put on the scrubs that were a little long, and loose on her, but after pulling the drawstring tighter, they were fine. She looked in her mother's locker for a hair dryer, which she found, and dried her hair. She put everything back in her mother's locker, took the bag with her dress and heels to the garbage can marked 'Soiled', and threw it away. She didn't even care that they were a casualty of the night. She just wanted rid of them.

She wondered how long she had been away from Brittany and how she was doing. She hoped that she hadn't been away for too long and that Brittany wasn't panicking again, because the thought of Brittany feeling any more distress, especially over her absence turned her stomach.

Santana grabbed her purse and pulled out her phone. She turned on the screen to check the time, but when it came up, she scrunched her eyebrows in confusion when she saw that she had over twenty missed phone calls and several voicemails. She didn't remember hearing her phone ring, but she saw in the top menu bar that it had was set to silent. She guessed she had inadvertently turned the ringer down at some point.

She slid her finger over the screen, and the phone menu popped up to show that she had missed calls from Quinn and Marcus.

"Shit!" She spat and she felt bad.

In the rush of the night, she had completely forgotten about the party and that she was supposed to be meeting them. She was over three hours late and she as sure that they were freaking out.

Santana knew she needed to call them back, but before she could do it, Marcus called her.

Santana slid her finger over the screen to answer the phone. "Hello."

" _Santana!"_ Marcus cried into the phone. The sound of the party was muffled in the background _. "Thank god! Are you okay? I've been calling you forever, but I couldn't get a hold of you. I was worried sick."_

"I'm fine, I'm at the hospital-" She started to explain, but he cut her off.

" _The hospital? Oh my god, what happened? Are you hurt?"_ He said in a panic, obviously missing the part where she said she was 'fine'. He just heard where she said she was at the hospital and thought the worst.

"Marcus! Calm down." Santana said loudly to get his attention from his rambling. When he stopped talking, she spoke again, but softer this time. "I'm okay. I'm not hurt. I'm so sorry that I worried you. My phone got put on silent by mistake and I didn't know you were trying to call."

" _Okay, that's good."_ Marcus sighed in relief. _"So if you aren't hurt, what are you doing at the hospital?"_

Santana told him the story about how she saw the accident happen, how she helped Brittany, and then how she ended up at the hospital.

" _Wow, that's a crazy story. Is she going to be okay?"_ Marcus asked.

"Mom thinks she will be, but they are waiting for some test results to come back."

" _Do you want me to come up there?"_

"No, it's okay." Santana said.

" _Are you sure? I can leave right now."_

"No. I know you and probably everyone else there has been drinking. It's safer for you to stay there. I'm sorry that I worried you, and thank you for caring so much about me, but I'm okay. You should have fun at the party."

" _I kinda feel bad being here, while you're there."_

"Don't feel bad. Have fun and tell Quinn I'm fine so she's not freaking out."

" _Okay."_ Marcus said with a sigh.

"Alright." Santana said. "I gotta go, but I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow."

" _Okay…bye."_ Marcus said.

Santana tried to ignore the disappointment in his voice. She knew he was looking forward to spending the night together, especially since he was leaving for the summer in two days, but he was too nice to say as much considering what happened with Brittany. "Bye." She said softly and hung up her phone.

Santana took a moment to think about her friends and their concern about her. She was happy to know that she was missed. She wondered how many missed calls Brittany had from people looking for her. She turned her phone up so she would hear it if it rang again. She left the nurse's locker room and quickly walked down the hallway to the room where she left Brittany.

She came into the dimly lit room and Brittany was lying in bed. She had an IV in one arm, a blood pressure cuff attached to the other arm, and wires were coming out of her hospital gown. Santana guessed that they were attached to a heart monitor. Her right foot was elevated, and it was wrapped with an ace bandage, as well as her left wrist, and she had a cold compress on top of her head, but the neck brace had been removed.

"Hey, Britt." Santana said quietly as she came into the room. She set her purse on a chair and approached the bed.

Brittany opened her eyes and turned to look at her. She smiled when she saw her. "Hi."

"I'm sorry if I was gone a long time."

Brittany shook her head to tell her it wasn't that long, but as soon as she did, she whimpered. "I'm sore everywhere."

"Yeah. You were in a pretty bad accident. I thought I was going to lose you at one point." Santana said in a low voice, remembering how she felt when Brittany passed out on her.

"But you helped me." Brittany said and slowly reached her uninjured hand out to take Santana's hand. "You saved me. You really are my angel." She said squeezing Santana's hand.

Santana felt her cheeks heat up and she swallowed hard. "I don't know about being an angel-," She said, but Brittany cut her off.

"No, you are. You're _my_ angel and nothing will ever change that in my mind."

Santana could tell that Brittany was serious, so she just smiled and nodded. "Okay."

They just looked at each other for a few moments before Brittany broke the silence. "Did you mean it in the car when you said I was your friend," She asked in a quiet voice and then looked away from Santana, "or did you just say that because I was hurt and you were trying to make me feel better?"

Santana stepped closer to the bed and then put her other hand on top of their clasped hands. "I meant that Brittany. I-" She started to say, but her mother walked in the room and interrupted her.

"Brittany, how are you feeling?" Maribel said and stood beside Santana.

"I'm sore…and hungry." Brittany said.

"The cafeteria is closed right now, but we have packs of crackers that I can give you to hold you over until morning."

"Thank you." Brittany squeaked.

"I was hoping to talk to you about some of your test results. Is it okay to talk with Santana in here, or would you like her to step out of the room?" Maribel said.

"I can go." Santana said motioning to the door with her thumb, but Brittany just held onto her hand tighter.

"No, it's okay. She can hear it." Brittany said.

"Well, you're going to be staying at the hospital for a day or two so we can monitor you, just to be on the safe side, so you'll be transferred to a room upstairs soon. Thankfully, the CAT scan didn't show anything serious. You have a concussion, which after a few days of rest; your head will start to feel better. The cut on your head isn't as deep as it seemed at first either. The head bleeds a lot when cut which makes it seem worse than it is. We had to put in about fifteen stitches, but it should heal nicely if you keep it clean."

"That's good." Brittany said with a relieved sigh.

"Your right ankle and left wrist have a pretty bad sprain, but they aren't broken. You'll have to be extra careful with them for a few weeks until they heal."

Brittany carefully nodded, and Santana let out a sigh of relief too, because she was happy to hear that Brittany wasn't in as bad of shape as she thought she was.

"Umm, there is one thing that your blood test showed that was surprising…" Maribel trailed off and just gave Brittany a sad look.

"What?" Brittany asked and her face fell.

Santana felt her stomach drop too because after all the good news, she was afraid of what had her mother surprised.

"Well I'm guessing that you didn't know because you haven't mentioned it, and it seems like it's still early, but…you're pregnant."

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading and if you have time, please let me know what you think of the story. I love seeing your thoughts and feedback.

I'm hoping the updates to this fic will be around two-three weeks. I have an update to High Frequency Romance: Glimpses that is with my beta, and I have Christmas fic that I'm just finishing up, so if you're interested, keep an eye out for them.

My beta **naynay1963** deserves a huge thank you as well. It's the holidays, and she is so busy, but she is still finding time to beta!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"WHAT?" Brittany and Santana yelped at the same time and they had shocked expressions on their faces. Out of all the things that Maribel could have said the blood test showed; pregnancy was not on their minds. "Are you sure?" Brittany asked letting go of Santana's hand and she tried to sit up.

"Hold on." Maribel said, stopping her from moving, and she pushed a button on the side of the bed that moved the bed so Brittany was propped up. She took the cold pack off Brittany's head and set it on the bed.

"Are you sure?" Brittany asked again and Maribel sighed, nodding sadly.

"Yes, I'm sure. You didn't notice that you missed your last period?"

"No. I'm supposed to start any day now." Brittany said and buried her face in her hands. "This can't be happening." She muttered over and over again.

Santana didn't know what to say, so she just stood there waiting for her mother or Brittany to say something.

A few moments later, it was obvious that Brittany was crying and Santana reached out to comfort her, but before she touched her, she pulled her hand back. She was afraid that it might upset Brittany even more than she already was, but her mother placed her hand on her lower back and nodded to her to let her know that her first instinct was right. Santana rubbed her hand up and down Brittany's right arm until Brittany calmed down a little and she took her hands away from her face and took Santana's hand into her own again.

It broke Santana's heart to see Brittany look so sad and lost.

"Is the baby okay?" Brittany asked looking up at Maribel.

"I don't know." Maribel said with a frown. "We just found out that you're pregnant. Are you feeling any pain in your abdomen?"

"Not really. I mean, I'm sore from the accident, but my stomach isn't really bothering me."

"That's a good sign, but Obstetrics has been called, so they're going to check on you as soon as they can send someone down here. Apparently, it's been a busy night in labor and delivery. Other than the pregnancy, your blood test didn't show anything out of the ordinary, but just to be on the safe side, I'm also going to send them a message to run a full STD panel on you as well."

Brittany just nodded and stared out in front of her. She was lost in her thoughts as she nervously played with Santana's fingers.

"Is there anyone we can call to be with you?" Maribel asked after a few moments. "Your parents?"

Brittany didn't answer, so Maribel put her hand on top of Brittany and Santana's. "Brittany." She said softly. Brittany didn't answer, so Maribel tried again. _"Brittany."_

"Huh?" Brittany said, finally looking at her.

"Can you give me a number to call your parents so I can tell them where you are? They're probably worried."

Brittany just looked down and shook her head. "No."

"Why not? Are you over eighteen?" Maribel asked, but she had her doubts.

Brittany shook her head. "No, I'm seventeen."

"Then where are your parents?" Maribel asked concerned. Brittany just shook her head as a tear ran down her face. "Brittany you have to tell me." She tried again, but Brittany didn't say anything.

Maribel sighed and backed away from the bed a little bit as she looked at Santana, shifting her eyes between her and Brittany, hoping that Santana could get her to talk.

Santana wasn't sure if she wanted to make Brittany talk when she didn't want to, but she realized that in this situation, considering Brittany's overall condition, it was important, so she nodded at her mother and moved closer to Brittany.

"Brittany." She said softly and put her other hand on top of their clasped hands, but Brittany didn't move. "Britt, can you look at me please?" She said and after a few moments, Brittany looked at her. "What's going on? Why can't we call your parents?" She asked, but again, Brittany didn't answer. "It's okay to tell us. I promise we're just trying to help you."

Brittany searched Santana's face for a few seconds before she nodded and sighed before looking down at their hands. "I don't live with my parents anymore."

Santana scrunched her eyebrows together because she didn't understand at first, but then a sad thought came to her. "Are they dead?"

"My mom is. She died when I was ten. My dad drinks a lot…he isn't very nice when he drinks, so I left a few weeks ago."

"Does he hit you?" Santana asked very seriously.

"No, he's never hit me," Brittany said, and then looked back at Santana, "but he says a lot of mean things, and he scares me when he throws stuff around when he rants. I couldn't stay there anymore."

"Where have you been living?" Santana asked.

"In my car." Brittany said in a whisper.

Santana's heart fell out of her chest and into her stomach when she heard that. Now it made sense why there was a pillow and blanket in the back of Brittany's car. She just thought she was on her way to a sleepover with a friend.

"I guess I'm going to have to find somewhere else to sleep now that my car is wrecked." Brittany said and looked down at her hands again.

"What about friends or the baby's father? Can you stay with one of them?" Maribel finally spoke up.

Brittany sighed and shook her head. "I don't really have any friends. The kids at school are kinda mean to me, and the father…I only saw him one night. He was good looking and he was around my age. He seemed really nice when I met him. We talked for a couple of hours and he was so sweet to me. He bought me dinner and paid for a hotel room for the night so I wouldn't have to sleep in my car. He said his dad owned a business and he was going to talk to him about giving me a job so I could get a place to live. I wanted to thank him for being so kind to me, and tried to give him a little money, even though I didn't have much. He wouldn't take it, but then he kissed me. He said he really liked me… " She closed her eyes and paused for a few seconds before she continued, "I woke up the next morning and he was gone. I don't even know his last name or if the name he gave me was real."

" _Oh my god."_ Santana whispered. She just couldn't believe that someone would be so cruel to Brittany when it was obvious she needed help.

Brittany sighed and looked at Santana. "I'm sorry that you've had to deal with me tonight. Thank you for helping me earlier, you've been so nice to me, and I really like you Santana, but I understand if you're freaked out about all of this and you don't want to be my friend anymore. The kids at school are right, I am stupid." She said and tried to pull her hand away, but Santana tightened her grip so she wouldn't pull away.

"No!" Santana said adamantly. "You are _not_ stupid. Your dad's a drunk asshole, and that guy manipulated you into trusting him and he took advantage of your situation. They're the stupid ones, not you. I told you earlier that I like you too and I want to be your friend."

"I guess I have one friend then." Brittany said with a smile and Santana returned the smile.

"So you don't have any family at all that we can call?" Maribel asked again just to be sure.

Brittany pouted and shook her head.

Maribel sighed but before she could say anything, Santana spoke up. "Mama, can Brittany come live with us?"

Maribel and Brittany's eyebrows shot up. Neither one of them expected for Santana to ask that. "Santana-" They both tried to say, but Santana wasn't going to let Brittany talk her out of it and she wasn't going to let her mother say no.

"Mama, we have plenty of room. She needs help and we can't let her go back to her dad or live in her wrecked car. She's pregnant; you know what happens to kids when the state takes them and they go into the system. We have to help her."

Maribel felt blindsided by Santana's request, but she also felt pride that her daughter truly wanted to help Brittany.

"Santana, Mrs. Lopez, I didn't tell you all of that so you would feel like you had to take me in. I'll figure it out." Brittany said.

"No, you're coming home with us and we'll all figure it out together, right Mama?" Santana said and turned to look at her mother with a hopeful expression.

An awkward silence lingered in the room after that. Santana wouldn't take her eyes off her mother, and Maribel just looked between the two girls holding hands as she considered everything that was said between them. She truly felt bad that Brittany was homeless and pregnant at seventeen, but taking over the responsibility of another teenager and ultimately a baby was a big decision that required some thought.

"You don't have to do this." Brittany said eventually breaking the silence.

Maribel deliberated for a few more seconds before she turned her attention to Brittany. "Brittany, you can't live on your own or in your car, especially not with a baby on the way. I'm going to have to contact your father to inform him of the situation."

"I'm not going back to live with him. I can't!" Brittany said and the panic that was on her face earlier came back.

"I'm not saying you have to." Maribel assured her. "But you're a minor, and I can't just take you home with us without doing things legally."

"So what are you going to do?" Santana asked her mother.

"Brittany is your dad in Lima?" Maribel asked.

Brittany shook her head. "No. He lives in Lisbon."

"Lisbon? Where's that? Is it in Ohio?" Santana asked. She had never heard of it before.

"Yeah, it's a small town on the east side of the state. It's not far from Pennsylvania."

"Then how did you end up in Lima?" Maribel asked because it seemed like a random place for her be.

"I didn't plan to end up here." Brittany said. "I was taking U.S. 30 to Chicago because I thought I would have a better chance at finding a job in a big city. I was getting tired, so I took the Lima exit to find a lighted place to sleep for the night. I was looking for a shopping center, but then the accident happened."

"Hmm, well at least he's in Ohio. That makes it easier." Maribel said. "I'm going to have to call your dad and talk to him to see what he has to say about you not being there. I have a feeling that what you've said about him and your situation is true, because I don't think he's even filed a missing person's report on you. If he had, the police would have known that not long after they found you."

"He probably doesn't care." Brittany said softly. "He stopped caring after my mom died and he started drinking."

"It's okay, Britt. We care." Santana said and Brittany gave her a grateful smile.

"If that's the case, I don't see it being difficult to get your guardianship transferred over to me," Maribel said, "but if he fights it, I'll probably have to petition the court for emergency guardianship. Though, I don't see him fighting for long when I tell him that I'm going to call child protective services on him for emotional abuse and neglect if he refuses."

"So does that mean she's coming home with us?" Santana asked perking up.

Maribel nodded. "If that's what Brittany wants."

"What do you say Britt?" Santana asked with a wide smile.

Brittany looked back and forth between them and she could hardly believe that they would just take her in like that. "Are you sure? I don't want to be in the way or cause any problems."

"I'm sure." Maribel said. "You have to go somewhere safe and the hospital isn't going to release you on your own if you don't leave with your father or a designated guardian. They're going to call child services and they're going to put you in foster care, but I don't want to do that to you, so after I reason with your father, you'll come home with us, and we'll figure it out from there."

Tears started to form in Brittany's eyes. "I'd like that. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, honey." Maribel said.

"Can I hug you?" Brittany asked and Maribel nodded and leaned down, carefully hugging her.

"It'll all be okay. You'll see." Maribel said and Brittany nodded.

Maribel pulled back after a few moments and Brittany wiped the tears from her eyes before she looked at Santana and motioned for a hug from her as well. Santana happily obliged.

When they parted, Santana turned to her mother, gave her a grateful smile, and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you." She whispered into her ear.

"You're welcome Mija." Maribel whispered back.

As they parted, Maribel put her hand into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. "Can you give me your dad's number?"

"Um, it's in my phone." Brittany said.

"I'll get it." Santana said and went over to the corner of the room where she left Brittany's things. She pulled her phone out of the purse and then she grabbed the stuffed duck, thinking that Brittany would like to have it. "I thought you might like this." She said and Brittany's face lit up when she saw the toy.

"You brought Waddles! Thank you! How did you know that I would need him?" She cheered and reached out to take the duck and the phone from Santana. She wrapped her arms around Waddles and held him tightly to her chest.

Santana felt her cheeks heat up and she couldn't help the smile that formed on her face from seeing Brittany so happy. "I saw him in the back of your car when I was looking for your purse, so I grabbed him."

"Thank you!" Brittany said and nuzzled Waddles again before she looked through her phone for the number.

Santana subtly peeked at the phone, and she felt her stomach fall when she saw that Brittany didn't have any missed phone calls, further confirming the story that she had told that night. Santana thought about how lucky she was to have people in her life that cared about her. She had over twenty missed phone calls earlier because she was late to a party, and she knew if she ran away or went missing, her mother wouldn't stop looking for her until she was found. Santana silently vowed right then that she would be that kind of friend to Brittany and she would do whatever she could to make sure she felt like someone cared about her.

Brittany gave Maribel her father's number and his address before she put her phone aside. "My head really hurts." Brittany said.

"Let's put this ice pack back on." Maribel said, repositioning the pack on her head.

"I'm going to go get your crackers and then after I check on my other patients, I'm going to call your father."

"Okay." Brittany said.

"Peanut Butter or Cheese?"

"Peanut Butter." Brittany said with a little yawn.

"You should try to rest." Maribel said. "Santana, it's getting late, you should probably go home and get some rest too. You've had a pretty eventful night."

Santana looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost midnight. She didn't want to leave though. "I don't know where my keys are." She said hoping it was a good enough excuse. It was true though, because she hadn't seen her keys or car since they left the scene of the accident. Actually, she hadn't seen Officer Ramirez or Officer Fitz since she arrived either.

Maribel raised her eyebrows and then patted the front pockets of her shirt. She reached into the left side, pulled out Santana's keys, and handed them to her. "One of the officers from earlier gave them to me when I told them that interviewing Brittany tonight was a bad idea. Brittany they'll be back tomorrow to talk to you though."

"I don't know how much help I can be. All I know is that the car looked black."

"You never know, Britt. Maybe it will help." Santana said encouragingly.

"Maybe." She said.

"Mama, can I stay with Brittany tonight?" Santana asked and pointed to a chair in the room that looked as if it turned into a recliner.

"I'll tell you what, you can sit with her until I get off, and then we'll both go home together." Maribel said.

Santana knew that she won a huge battle with getting her mother to agree to Brittany coming to stay with them, so she thought that it would be best if she didn't argue with her. "Okay."

"I'll be back in a minute." Maribel said, leaving the room.

Santana put her keys in her purse and then sat in the chair beside Brittany's bed. A few moments later, Maribel came in the room with a small carton of white milk and two packs of peanut butter crackers. She set them on the small table beside the bed and then quickly left the room.

"Your mom is really nice." Brittany said opening her crackers.

Santana smiled. "Yeah she is.

"Do you want a cracker?" Brittany asked and held out the pack for Santana.

"No, it's okay. I'm good." Santana said. She was a little hungry, but she knew that she had the ability to get whatever she wanted when she got home, so she didn't want to take Brittany's food.

Brittany shrugged as best she could without tipping the cold pack off her head and she took a bite from a cracker.

A silence settled between them. Santana wracked her brain for something to say. She had a million things she wanted to ask Brittany, but she wasn't sure what to start with, and if she should even try, because she knew that Brittany had had a stressful night, and she didn't know what would be okay to talk about or and what would add to her stress.

Santana was taken from her inner deliberation though when Brittany asked her a question. "Is your dad going to be okay with me coming to stay with you?"

Santana frowned and she felt her heart drop again with that innocent question. She felt tears threaten to prick her eyes, but she forced them way and shook her head. "No…he, um…he's dead."

Brittany closed her eyes and sighed. She felt bad for asking about him. She opened her eyes and looked Santana in the eyes, hoping that she could tell how sincere she was. "I'm so sorry. I'm a jerk. I didn't mean to bring it up. I just noticed that your mom was wearing a wedding band, and I thought…" She said trailing off.

"It's okay." Santana said. "You didn't know and you're not a jerk. I'm not upset that you asked about him. I don't mind talking about him with you. If you're going to be living with us, you're going to find out anyways. Plus friends talk about stuff, right?"

Brittany nodded and looked down. "When my mom died, my best friend had just moved away. I had other friends, but it wasn't the same. My dad was no help, so I ended up keeping to myself, and didn't say much when I was around people. It took me a long time to get over my mom dying, but by then I didn't have any friends. I tried to make some, especially when things got really bad with my dad, but that didn't go so well. Nobody wanted to be my friend because they thought I was stupid or weird because I don't talk much. I don't even know why I'm so talkative around you, but you just seem really nice. I wish I had a friend like you when my mom died. Maybe I wouldn't be so awkward."

"I'm here now." Santana said and Brittany looked up at her and nodded with a smile.

"That makes me happy."

Santana smiled back at her. "Me too."

They stared at each other for a few seconds and then they both looked down shyly. "How long ago did he…"

"Almost three years ago." Santana said and looked back at Brittany. "He was killed by a drunk driver. My mom never takes off her ring. Sometimes I still hear her crying at night, but she's getting better. It doesn't happen as often anymore. I went through a really bad phase. For about a year, I just hated everything, and I was angry, but my mom put us both in therapy, and I concentrated on cheerleading and it kept me from thinking about him when Coach was killing us with drills. I had friends that I could to talk to if I felt like it, but for a long time I didn't talk to them about it at all. I still don't really like to talk about him to them, but if he's brought up, I don't have a meltdown like I used to. It doesn't hurt as bad anymore, but I still miss him."

"Is that why you were so upset earlier tonight and why you stayed with me? Because you thought what happened to your dad was going to happen to me?"

Santana swallowed hard and looked down as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Yeah. I know I didn't know you, but you didn't deserve that. Nobody does, and then you started talking to me, and you were so sweet, but then you passed out again and I was so afraid for you. My dad died alone, and I didn't want that for you, but thankfully you're going to be okay."

"What was he like?"

Santana smiled as she thought about her dad. "He was a good man. One of the best. I really loved him. He treated my mom and me like we were his whole world. He loved us so much. He was so kind and everyone just loved him. He was a doctor at this hospital in ICU. Everyone used to say that he just knew how to be around people, which was good since he dealt with really sick people and their families all the time."

"He sounds great." Brittany said with a smile.

"What about your mom?" Santana dared to ask. She thought it might be okay since Brittany was asking her questions.

"She was great too." Brittany said with a sad smile. "Sometimes I forget how she used to be, but on really bad nights, I have the same dream about her and me when I was little. She took me to the zoo one day when my dad was at work, and we spent all day there. She bought me ice cream and made up stories about all the animals and we gave them names. Before we left, we went through the gift store and she let me pick a toy. That's where I got Waddles. When I would wake up from that dream it would always make me feel better when everything else around me seemed like it was terrible."

"She sounds like she was a good mom." Santana said with a smile.

"She was. My dad was a good dad too. He really was great, and he was so in love with my mom, but something in him broke when she got sick. It was so quick. One minute she was fine and the next thing we knew, she was gone. He started drinking not long after she died, and he just got worse and worse. Eventually I had to take over buying groceries, and cooking, and buying clothes and stuff like that. He works, but when he's home he's like a zombie and doesn't do anything but drink until he passes out or something sets him off and he just goes into a rage."

Brittany paused and sighed. When she started talking again, her voice sounded tight, as if she was trying not to cry.

"I tried so hard to help him even though I was hurting myself, but after the last rage he had when I was home, I couldn't take it anymore. It was just awful. Worse than any one that he had ever had. That was the first time that I thought he would actually hurt me. He didn't, but it really scared me. Living on my own in my car was better than being in that house, so I took all the money I had and some money from him when he passed out that night and I left."

Brittany couldn't hold back any longer and a tear slid down each cheek. Santana just felt terrible that Brittany had such a bad childhood. She wanted Brittany to know someone in the world cared for her. She leaned over and gently wiped away her tears. "Brittany, you don't have to feel scared anymore. My mom and I are going to do everything we can to make sure you and the baby feel safe."

Brittany smiled a nodded. "That sounds nice."

She held her hand out for Santana to take, but it was her left hand, since Santana was sitting on her left side. Santana hesitated for a few seconds to take it since it was her injured hand, but she thought that Brittany might be feeling a little anxious or needing some comfort, so she carefully laced her fingers with Brittany's.

They sat in silence as Brittany ate her crackers. When she was finished, Brittany laid her head back but she was uncomfortable. She fidgeted trying to find a comfortable spot, but it was almost impossible considering that her whole body was achy.

"Do you want me to lay your bed back?" Santana asked.

"Yes, please." Brittany said, picking up Waddles and held him in her arms against her chest.

The bed had adjustment buttons on both sides, so Santana lowered the back of the bed so Brittany was laying back, but not lying flat. She readjusted the cold pack on Brittany's head when it started to slide, and she noticed that it was getting warm. She lifted the blanket that was sitting over Brittany's legs and pulled it up until it was just below Brittany's shoulders.

"I'm so tired." Brittany sighed and closed her eyes.

"I can go so you can get some sleep."

Brittany turned her head toward Santana, but winced a little as she did. "Can you stay with me until your mom comes back?"

"Sure." Santana said with a warm smile and leaned back in the chair.

She just watched Brittany rest as she waited for her mother. Santana replayed the whole night in her head and she wondered what it was about Brittany that was drawing her to her. She was sure Brittany's circumstances probably played into it a little bit, but Santana knew there was more to it, because she felt drawn to her even before she found out about the pregnancy and her living situation. She just wasn't quite sure what that something was. The only thing she was sure of was that she really liked Brittany and that she was glad that Brittany seemed to like her just as much.

When Maribel came back around a quarter past one, she had a new cold pack, a container with ice water, and a plastic cup and straw. She set the container, cup, and straw on the table beside Brittany and then she gently placed the fresh cold pack on Brittany's head.

Brittany opened her eyes when she felt the movement. "Did you talk to my dad?" She asked groggily.

Maribel frowned and shook her head. "I called a few times, but he didn't answer. I'm going to call him first thing in the morning."

"Okay." Brittany said, but she wasn't surprised that Maribel couldn't get a hold of him.

"We'll get it all worked out." Maribel said. "Penny is going to be your nurse until you're moved upstairs. You're going to room 418 and Santana and I will be back tomorrow to see you."

"Thank you Mrs. Lopez. You're so nice."

"Oh you're welcome honey." Maribel said to Brittany with a smile. "You should try to get some rest."

"Okay." Brittany said with tired smile.

"Santana, I'm going to the locker room to get my things, meet me there in a few minutes and then I'll walk you out to your car."

"Yes Mama." Santana said nodding.

"Goodnight Brittany." Maribel said.

"Goodnight."

Maribel left the room and then Santana sat up in her chair. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I'll bring you something decent to eat when I come back, because Mom says the food from the cafeteria is crap."

Brittany cracked a smile. "Can I have a cheeseburger and fries?"

"You got it." Santana returned the smile. "I'll even bring you a milkshake."

"You're the best Santana. Thank you for everything." Brittany said seriously. "I don't feel like there is anything I can do to ever thank you enough."

"Hey, it's okay. We're friends, right?"

"Yes. You're my best friend." Brittany said. The fact that Santana was her only friend didn't matter. She was sure if she had other friends, Santana would still be her best friend.

"Then that's all I need."

Brittany blushed and slowly sat up. She took off her cold pack and lifted her arms to Santana. Santana leaned over and hugged her. They held each other for almost a minute and when they finally parted from the embrace, Santana noticed that Brittany looked nervous. She knew that she didn't want to be alone.

"Is it okay if I put my number in your phone? That way you can call or text me if you want to."

Brittany perked up a little. "Yes, please."

Santana picked up Brittany's phone, put in her number, and then called herself so she would have Brittany's number. "You'll probably need a charger soon. I'll swing by Hummel's Auto tomorrow to get all of your stuff out of your car."

"Thank you."

"Well I better go. Mama's probably waiting on me."

"Okay. Sleep well." Brittany said.

"I will. You too." Santana said and leaned over hugging Brittany once more. She resituated her blanket and cold pack when she laid down again. "See you tomorrow." She said after getting her purse and walking over to the door.

"See you tomorrow." Brittany sighed and held Waddles tightly against her. It couldn't come fast enough for her.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N:** That was a heavy chapter with a lot of information. I hope you liked it, despite it being heavy, and I hope that it answered some of the questions that you all had. If you get a chance, please let me know what you think about the story.

As always, my beta **naynay1963** deserves a big thank you for proof reading.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next morning Santana was taken from her sleep a second time in as many days when her mother came into her room. Maribel sat on the side of her bed and rubbed her back.

"Mija, it's time to get up." She said softly.

Santana stirred, rolling over to look at her mother with one eye. "What time is it?" She mumbled into her pillow.

She was tired and wanted to sleep a little longer. She had had a hard time turning off her mind after everything that happened with Brittany. Then after she fell asleep, it wasn't long before a text message from Brittany woke her up telling her that she had been moved out of the ER and was in her room, which was "cold and creepy" according to Brittany; so Santana texted back and forth with her for almost an hour until Brittany was finally able to fall asleep.

"It's almost nine o'clock. I spoke to Brittany's dad." Maribel said and that was enough to wake up Santana.

"What did he say?" She asked nervously sitting up. She was afraid of what he could do to Brittany.

"Why don't you get a shower and get dressed. We'll go get Brittany's things from Burt's and bring her lunch. We can talk about it then."

Santana cranked a curious eyebrow at that. She was wondering why her mother was being so cryptic. "Is it bad news?" She asked because if she couldn't have all the details now, she needed to know if it was bad.

"No, it's not." Maribel said with a small smile. "I thought it would just be best to go see Brittany as soon as we can."

Santana nodded and flipped the blanket off her. "I'll go get ready now."

"I have some phone calls to make before we go, so I'll be in the office." Maribel said standing up.

"Okay Mama." Santana said with a yawn and stretched before she got out of bed.

About two hours later when they arrived on the fourth floor of the hospital, Maribel went to talk to the nurses so she could check on Brittany's condition and Santana went straight to Brittany's room. The door was closed over, but not all the way. She knocked and when Brittany called out for her to enter, she opened the door.

"Hey." Santana said and Brittany's face lit up when she saw her.

"Hi!" Brittany chirped and hit a button on a remote that moved the bed so she was sitting up. "I know this probably sounds so weird because we just met, but I really missed you."

Santana smiled and set the bag and drink caddy that she had in her hands on the table beside the bed. "I don't think it's weird. I missed you too." Santana said shyly.

"I hate hospitals." Brittany said with a pout. "It's so lonely in here. I didn't get much sleep, and the nurses and doctors are in and out, but they only stay for a few minutes. The police came to talk to me too, but they didn't stay long either, especially since I couldn't give them much information on the other car. The rest of the time I was by myself and it kinda sucked."

"I know." Santana said sympathetically and took Brittany's uninjured right hand into her own. "How are you feeling?" She noticed that there was a dark bruise peeking out from under the bandage on her forehead where she had the stitched gash, and she wondered where else Brittany was bruised.

"I'm still sore all over, and they will only give me Tylenol for the pain, but it's not as bad as it was last night."

"That's good." Santana said. "What did they say about the baby?" She asked cautiously.

"The doctor came in early this morning to check me out. My torso it bruised pretty badly from the seatbelt, which worried me that it hurt the baby, but thankfully, she says that she thinks the baby is fine. She says that I need to find an OB and if I have any pain in my stomach or bleeding in the next few weeks that I need to go see them immediately."

"That's great!" Santana chirped, sighing in relief. "I was worried about that."

"Me too." Brittany said resting her injured hand over her flat stomach. "I mean I didn't plan to get pregnant, but now that I know that I am, I don't want anything bad to happen to it."

"I wouldn't either." Santana said smiling down at Brittany as she watched her lightly rub her belly with the tip of her fingers.

They didn't say anything for a few moments, but when Brittany looked up at Santana, she looked worried again.

"Did your mom talk to my dad?"

Santana nodded and tightened her hold on her hand. "She did. She didn't tell me any details yet. She's talking to your nurse, but she said that she would come in here to talk to you about it soon." When Brittany's face twitched in worry, she added, "She said it wasn't bad, so I guess that's good news."

Brittany's face softened a bit at hearing that. "I guess so."

Santana nodded and then looked to the bag she set on the table. "I brought you a cheeseburger and fries with a strawberry milkshake." She said, hoping that would perk Brittany up a bit.

It did help, because Brittany smiled. "Thank you. I'm starving! They brought me breakfast a little while ago and I couldn't even eat most of it, it was that bad. It looked like eggs, but it didn't taste like eggs. I don't know how they expect people to eat that stuff."

Santana scrunched her nose. "Yuck. Here, have something decent. It's from the diner up the road. They have pretty good food." She said letting go of Brittany's hand and moved the table over Brittany's lap and started to pull out the food. "I didn't know what you would want on it, so I just told them lettuce and tomato, but I got you some packets of mustard and ketchup."

"I like all of that stuff." Brittany said and put a few fries into her mouth. She moaned when she tasted them. "Mmm, so good." She mumbled.

Santana chuckled at her excitement. "It's good, but not that good." She said and pulled out a styrofoam container with her own food.

"Yes it is." Brittany said and stuffed a few more fries in her mouth.

They chitchatted for a few minutes as they ate, and it wasn't long before Maribel came into the room. "Hi Brittany." She said with a warm smile.

Brittany's mouth was full, so it took a moment before she could swallow and speak. "Hi Mrs. Lopez."

"I spoke to your nurse and they said that you are doing well enough that you will be able to leave in a few hours."

That perked Brittany up even more. "So I don't have to stay here by myself again tonight?"

Maribel shook her head and then smiled. "Nope."

Brittany sighed in relief. "Good."

"I spoke to your dad too."

Brittany took a deep breath and set down her burger. "And?"

"He's agreed to let you stay with us." Maribel said. Brittany and Santana both smiled, and Brittany let out another relieved sigh. "I had a long talk with him about everything you and I talked about last night, and about your accident and pregnancy; and while he did express concern about your condition, I told him that I could not let you and your baby go back into the kind of environment that you came from until he gets some help with his drinking. He agreed with me, thankfully. My lawyer is drawing up paperwork to present to the court this week, so hopefully everything will be taken care of by Friday.

Brittany felt a rush of happiness run through her. "So can I go home with you tonight?"

"Yep. Your father has already called the hospital and spoken with one of the social workers giving them permission to release you into my custody."

"I can't believe it. I thought that he might give you a hard time."

"He did at first, because some stranger just called him out of the blue and told him that she wanted guardianship of his daughter, which I think anyone would be upset over, but I can be very convincing when I need to be. After talking to him, I really think that he does care about you, he's just not able to express it the way that he should because of his drinking. I don't know if he's going to seek any help, but I encouraged him to look into rehab or to join Alcoholics Anonymous. I even suggested therapy to help with his depression."

"I hope he gets help," Brittany said softly, "But I don't know if he will. I tried to talk him into getting help so many times."

Maribel sighed, moving closer to Brittany and setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know, but he's essentially had his child taken from him. I didn't give him any choice in the matter. Maybe that will be enough to push him in that direction. We'll just have to see. I told him that he could come visit you, but he has to be sober, and he has to be making an effort to get better."

Brittany nodded. "Okay, thank you." She said. She was relieved. She loved her father, she really did, but she couldn't be around him anymore, at least not until he got help.

"You're welcome honey. I know it hasn't been easy, but hopefully it will be a little better with Santana and me. I spoke with the body shop and they say it would be better to total out your car than it will be to fix it, so your dad's insurance policies will cover that and this hospital visit. He's going to send me the money that the insurance company gives him for your car to buy you another one, and then once everything is finalized with your guardianship, I'll add you to my policies, so you're going to be okay. You don't need to worry about money; all you're going to have to worry about is getting better and staying healthy for your baby."

Brittany felt her chest get heavy and she started to tear up. She was overcome with emotion. "I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you. You're doing so much for me and you don't even know me."

"That's because she's the best mom." Santana said looking up at her mother with pride.

Brittany chuckled through her tears. "She sounds like it." She said and held her arms up to hug Maribel.

Maribel returned the embrace and ran her hands down the back of Brittany's hair. "I'm just happy to help. It'll be okay."

"Thank you." Brittany said again, because she didn't know what else to say.

"You're welcome." Maribel said and pulled out of the hug. "Now where's my burger, I'm starving."

Brittany chuckled and pointed to the bag sitting beside Santana.

-()-()-()-()-

Around three o'clock, Brittany was discharged from the hospital. The nurses were in the process of getting Brittany ready to leave when Santana's phone rang. She looked to see who it was and it was Marcus. Santana realized that she had completely forgotten to call him that day, so she went out into the hallway to take the call.

"Hey."

" _Hey."_ Marcus cooed in to the phone. _"What are you up to?"_

"Mom and I are at the hospital. They're discharging Brittany so we're just waiting to take her home."

" _You're taking her home? Why aren't her parents picking her up?"_ He asked confused. He hadn't talked to Santana since the night before, so he wasn't aware of anything that happened after he spoke to her.

"She's coming to our house to stay."

" _Wait, she's staying with you and your mom?"_ He asked surprised. _"Why?"_

"It's a long story and I really don't have time to go into it right now. I'll tell you about it later." She said and she wasn't sure why, but she felt a little annoyed with him. She knew she shouldn't be; he was just asking the same questions anyone else would ask.

" _Okay, cool."_ He chirped. _"So can I come over when you get home to hang out?"_

"Umm…" Santana hesitated, walking away from Brittany's room towards an empty sitting area. "I don't know if now is the best time. Brittany's been through a lot. She's in pain and she's in a strange place where she only knows me and mom, so I don't know if having her meet someone while she's trying to get settled is a good idea."

" _Okay…so can you leave her with your mom and then you and I can hang out for a bit?"_

"Marcus…" She said with a sigh and sat down in a seat.

She didn't want to go out. She knew that Brittany would need some help moving around, and even though Brittany was happy to be staying with her and her mom, she didn't want to just up and leave her for a few hours on her first night.

" _What? What's wrong?"_ He asked.

"I don't want to leave her okay, so drop it!" Santana snapped and then sighed. She knew he didn't really do anything to deserve that. When she spoke again, she wasn't as forceful. "I'm sorry. Look, you weren't there last night, you didn't see or hear the shit she went through, and I just feel like I should be there her first night at my house."

" _Okay, I get that, but what do you want to do about me-"_ He started to say, but Santana cut him off.

"What about you?" She snapped again. "You weren't injured in a horrible accident last night and oh wait, let me see, you didn't find out that some asshole who took advantage of you got you pregnant either!" She was about to continue her angry rant, but Marcus cut in.

" _Santana, calm down, I didn't mean it like that!"_ He yelled into the phone, which took Santana by surprise. He rarely raised his voice to her. _"You cut me off and didn't let me finish. I was trying to ask what you wanted to do about me leaving tomorrow."_

There was a pause on the line before Santana spoke again. "Oh." She said softly. She felt bad for snapping at him again.

" _Yeah."_ He said a little hurt. _"I'm not a dick, Santana, I can understand that you want to help her, but I don't think it's so wrong for me ask to spend some time with my girlfriend before leaving for two and half months."_

Santana sighed and rubbed her forehead. _"Shit, shit, shit."_ She ranted in her head as she racked her brain trying to think of a way to make it all work out. "What time does your flight leave again?" She asked after a few long moments.

" _Three o'clock, but we have to leave for Columbus a little before noon."_

"Okay. Lemme see how Brittany is feeling when we get home. If she is okay with meeting someone, you can come over and we can hang out together, and then in the morning you and I can go out for breakfast and hang out before you and your mom leave for the airport. Is that okay?"

" _Yeah, sounds good."_ He said lighter. He didn't sound hurt anymore.

"Alright." Santana said sighing in relief and looked down the hallway to see Maribel waving her back towards the room. "Hey, I have to go. Mom is calling me back. I'll call you in a little while and I promise if Brittany is doing okay, you can come over."

" _Thanks, Santana."_ Marcus cooed. _"I missed you last night, and I can't imagine leaving without being able to see you."_

Santana sighed because she knew she was going to miss him too. It would be the first summer since they were eight years old that they haven't seen each other. "I know. I'll talk to you soon."

" _Okay, tell Brittany I said hi."_

"I will; bye."

" _Bye."_

Santana disconnected the call and trotted down the hallway into the room to see her mother reading some papers and another nurse helping Brittany, now dressed in her own clothes, into a wheelchair. "Sorry, Marcus called." She said.

Maribel chuckled as if she wasn't surprised that she was talking to him.

"Who's Marcus?" Brittany asked.

Maribel answered before Santana could, "Santana's _boyfriend_." She teased. She knew about his crush on Santana even before Marcus did, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Marcus finally broke down and asked her out.

"Oh?" Brittany said in surprise, she had not been expecting that.

Santana couldn't help but to notice that Brittany's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before smoothing again, and for that brief moment, she thought Brittany looked sad and disappointed. She dismissed the thought quickly and chalked it up to her imagining things, because she couldn't think of a reason why the mention of her boyfriend would make Brittany disappointed or sad.

"Are you going out with him tonight?" Brittany asked, but she wasn't looking at Santana when she spoke. She was looking down and seemed to be interested in whatever the nurse was doing to her wheelchair.

"No." Santana said and Brittany looked up at her. "He-he wanted too, but I told him that I didn't want to leave you on your first night at the house." She said and Brittany smiled warmly. "He's leaving tomorrow to stay with his aunt and grandma in Florida for the summer, so I told him if you are feeling up to having people over, he could come by and hang out with us."

Brittany nodded. "I think I would like to meet him, that way I can see if he's good enough for you." She said in a teasing tone.

Santana felt her cheeks heat up.

"He's a nice boy." Maribel chimed in with another chuckle as she continued to read Brittany's discharge papers. "As much I'll probably never think anyone is good enough for my Santana, I like him."

Santana rolled her eyes and Brittany winked at her, causing Santana to feel her cheeks heat up again and to look away.

"Anyways, are we ready to go?" Santana said picking up the plastic bag that the hospital had given them to carry Brittany's things.

"Yep." Maribel said looking up from the paperwork. "I'm going to get the car. Santana you stay with Brittany and Sarah will walk you down to the pickup area."

"Okay Mama." Santana said with a nod.

Thirty minutes later, they were pulling into the driveway. Brittany was sitting in the front seat with it pushed all the way back so she could stretch out her right leg. She had crutches so she could keep her weight off her injured foot, but it was difficult for her to use them properly because of her sprained wrist, so when they got out of the car, Santana gave her a crutch for her right hand, and then she acted as Brittany's other crutch. Brittany wrapped her left arm around Santana's shoulders so she could put her weight on her forearm instead of her wrist.

They slowly made their way into the house and instead of going upstairs to the bedroom, Maribel told Santana to take Brittany to the couch while she took her things upstairs to her room. Once Brittany was seated, Santana took a throw pillow, propped it behind Brittany's back, then she took off her shoe and took a second pillow and put it under her foot so it would be elevated.

"Are you comfortable?" Santana asked and sat down on the arm of the couch looking down at Brittany.

"Yeah." Brittany said with a little nod and looked around the room. "It's nice in here."

"Thanks." Santana said.

"I love the wall of Santana." Brittany said with a chuckle and pointed to the wall that had pictures of Santana at various ages hanging proudly.

Santana rolled her eyes playfully and she chuckled as well. "My parents are ridiculous. I mean who needs that many pictures of their kid?"

"Parents who love and are proud of their child." Brittany said with a flat smile.

Santana felt her heart drop into her stomach. "I'm sorry Britt. I didn't mean to be-" She started to say but Brittany cut her off.

"Don't apologize." Brittany said with a warm smile. "I think it's sweet that your parents did that."

Now that Santana was looking at it in a different perspective, she had to agree. "Yeah, it is sweet."

"I'm going to do that one day for this baby." Brittany said looking down at her belly. "I don't ever want it to feel unloved or unwanted."

Santana smiled at Brittany warmly. "It won't."

Brittany looked up at Santana, and gave her a grateful smile. They just smiled at each other for a moment or two before Maribel came into the room and broke them from their stare.

"Who's hungry?"

"Me!" Santana and Brittany chirped at the same time.

"I thought so. Is Marcus coming over?" Maribel asked.

"Yeah, I texted him in the car. He'll be over in a little bit."

"Then I'll make enough for him too. How does baked chicken and mac and cheese sound?"

"Mmm." Brittany hummed in agreement.

"I'll take that as a yes." Maribel chirped. "You girls keep yourselves busy. Brittany you stay off your feet as much as possible. If you need anything, have Santana get it for you."

"Yes ma'am." Brittany said with a smile.

"Santana, make sure if she needs to get up that you help her."

"Yes Mama." Santana said with a playful salute. When Maribel left the room for the kitchen, Santana turned back to Brittany. "You wanna watch a movie?"

"Mm-hmm." Brittany said. "Something funny."

"You got it." Santana said, going over to where they kept movies and started reading off titles until Brittany picked out '10 Things I Hate About You'.

"I haven't seen that movie in forever." Brittany said.

"Me either." Santana said putting it in the player. When she stood up, she looked at Brittany laying on the couch and even though she said that she was, she wasn't sure if she was comfortable. "Do you want anything? A drink, or some snacks, or maybe a blanket?"

"A blanket would be nice." Brittany said shifting and her face twisted in pain.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked and moved closer to her.

"Yeah." Brittany said with little groan. "It just hurts to move sometimes. My back feels stiff."

Santana frowned. She grabbed a blanket from the bench below the window and then spread it over Brittany's legs. "Can you slide down a bit?"

Brittany arched her eyebrow. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because I'm going to rub your back. Maybe it will help."

Brittany just looked at her for a second as if she couldn't believe what she just said but she nodded and shuffled further down the couch. Santana resituated the pillow under her foot and then sat down on the other end of the couch. She picked up the pillow, put it in her lap, and motioned for Brittany to lay her head down. Brittany laid on her side and Santana pulled the blanket up a bit more before she gently moved her hand up and down Brittany's back.

"Is that better?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Brittany said with a happy smile that Santana couldn't see.

"It's no problem." Santana said with a little smile of her own. "If I put too much pressure anywhere just let me know."

"Okay." Brittany said, resting her injured hand across her stomach as she turned her attention to the movie.

As they watched the movie, they were chatty, making comments about what they liked or didn't like about the characters or plot line and how the movie compared to their own high school experiences. Maribel checked in on them, bringing them a drink, and she smiled when she saw Santana rubbing Brittany's back, but she didn't say anything about it. When the doorbell rang, Maribel called out that she would get the door, so Santana wouldn't have to move.

Santana and Brittany heard her mother greeting Marcus and a moment later, he walked into the living room.

"Hey." He said with a smile and he had his hands behind his back.

"Hey." Santana said returning the smile and Brittany slowly sat up so she could see him.

"You must be Brittany, I'm Marcus." He said flashing her a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm in pain, but okay. Santana and her mom have been taking real good care of me." Brittany said with a small smile and Santana returned the smile.

"Yeah, they're pretty awesome." Marcus said and pulled a large box of chocolate out from behind his back. "I brought you something."

"Aww, that's nice of you." Brittany said accepting the chocolate.

"I can't take credit for the idea." He said with a little chuckle. "I told my mom about your accident and she said that chocolate always makes her feel better, so I took her advice."

"Thank you, and tell her that I said thank you as well."

"I will and you're welcome." Marcus said politely and turned to look at Santana.

"That was really nice of you." Santana said, and Marcus smiled at her and leaned down kissing her softly.

When he pulled back, Santana could see out of the corner of her eye that Brittany had moved further away from them.

"So what are we doing tonight ladies?" Marcus asked.

"Umm, Mom is making dinner and we're just watching movies." Santana said and turned to look at Brittany. Her face seemed blank as she was reading the chocolate box. She wondered if all the movement had bothered her.

"Awesome. I love your mom's cooking." He said and Santana gave him a small smile.

She turned to look at Brittany again and she still had an unreadable look on her face. "Britt, are you okay? Do you want me to rub your back again?"

Brittany looked at Santana and then glanced at Marcus before she shook her head. "No, I'm good for now. My back feels a little better."

"Are you sure?" Santana asked because she could tell that something was bothering her.

Brittany smiled and nodded before she looked between the couple again "Yeah, you really helped." She said and then motioned to the love seat. "You should go sit with your boyfriend. I'm sure he wants to spend as much time with you as he can since he's leaving tomorrow."

Marcus just gave her a grateful smile and nodded, but Santana just looked at Brittany as if she didn't believe her. She could tell the smile was forced. When she didn't move after a few seconds, Brittany playfully rolled her eyes. "I'll be okay for a little while. I promise."

Santana pursed her lips for a few seconds before she relented and nodded. "Alright, if you say so." She said before she stood up and put the pillow that was in her lap where she was sitting and motioned for Brittany to lay down.

Once Brittany was lying down, she watched Santana and Marcus go over to the love seat and sit down together. Marcus put his arm around Santana's shoulders and pulled her into him. Brittany watched them whisper to each other for a few moments before she looked away and concentrated on the movie.

The living room that was once filled with conversation was now only filled with the sounds coming from the movie. Brittany's sudden silence concerned Santana, and she paid more attention to Brittany than she did to Marcus or the movie. She glanced over to Brittany so many times hoping to catch her attention, but she never looked towards her.

When Maribel came in to announce that dinner was ready, Santana was so happy for the break in the silence that she nearly jumped up from her seat.

"I need to use the bathroom before we eat." Brittany said sitting up.

"I'll help you." Santana said.

"I'll go help your mom." Marcus said and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room.

Santana went to get one of Brittany's crutches and handed it to her, and then wrapped her arm around her shoulders before slowly helping her to stand up.

Brittany winced in pain from the movement.

"I'm sorry." Santana squeaked.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Brittany said with the first genuine smile that Santana had seen since Brittany's silent act.

"Okay." Santana said letting out a shallow sigh of relief before they started moving towards the downstairs bathroom. She was happy to see that smile again.

"Do you need any help?" Santana asked after walking Brittany into the room.

"Um, no I think I have it, but if I need anything I'll call you." Brittany said squeezing Santana's hand.

"Okay. I'll be waiting just outside." Santana said and closed the door behind her as she left the room.

Santana let her mind wander as she waited for Brittany and when she called for her a few minutes later to tell her that she was finished, Santana opened the door. She let Brittany wrap her arm around her shoulders before she asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah…well as good as anyone can be that needs someone else to help them walk." Brittany said with a little chuckle.

Santana chuckled as well. "Well consider me your personal assistant." She quipped. "Although, don't tell anyone I said that. I wouldn't want it to ruin my badass reputation."

Brittany rolled her eyes playfully. "Don't worry. If anyone asks, I'll tell them you're still a badass."

"You better." Santana said with a smirk and wink.

"Don't worry; you're still the biggest badass in my book, even if I know you have a secret sweet side." Brittany said with a warm smile.

Santana felt her cheeks heat up with the way that Brittany was looking at her and after a few moments, she had to look away. "So, um, are you ready to eat?" She asked changing the subject as they started to make their way to the dining room.

"God, yes; I'm still trying to recover from breakfast this morning." She said making a disgusted face at the reminder of those awful powdered eggs.

Santana giggled. "Okay, let's get some good food in you. My mom's mac and cheese is the best."

"Awesome! I love homemade mac and cheese."

-()-()-()-()-

Later that evening, after dinner, the three teenagers had dessert in the living room while they watched another movie. Maribel had given Brittany another dose of Tylenol after dinner and Santana knew that her back was bothering her, so she offered to rub it while they watched the movie, but Brittany told her that it could wait and she insisted that Santana sit with Marcus.

Santana noticed that Brittany had been engaged and talkative during dinner, and while they ate their dessert, but as soon as she was finished, it seemed as if she clammed up again. She laid on the couch, and though she would answer when someone said something to her, she barely looked over at Santana and Marcus, and she wouldn't initiate any conversation. Santana couldn't figure out why she was being quiet again, except that maybe the pain was unsettling her. She considered that maybe Brittany didn't like Marcus or she was shy around him, but then she dismissed that idea because they seemed to get along just fine at dinner, and Brittany even asked him about being on the football and basketball team, but now, she just seemed like she didn't want to talk.

"Hey, let's go sit by the pool." Marcus whispered in her ear as they neared the end of the movie.

Santana glanced to Brittany, but she had her eyes closed. "What about Brittany? What if she needs help with something?"

Marcus chuckled. "She's asleep. She'll be okay for a few minutes without you. I really want to spend some time alone with you before I have to leave." He said, and after a moment he added, "Pleeease!" with a little pout.

Santana felt torn about leaving, but in the end, she nodded in agreement. "Okay, just for a little while though." She said and they got up and went into the back yard.

When the door leading outside closed, Brittany opened her eyes. She stared at the back door for a few moments before she sighed sadly and started to watch what was left of the movie. She had not been sleeping at all; she had only been pretending to be asleep.

-()-()-()-()-

Twenty minutes later, Santana and Marcus came into the living room again, and Brittany was sitting up on the couch watching the special features of the movie that came on automatically after the movie.

"Hey Britt. Everything okay?" Santana asked and she wasn't sure why, but she felt a pang of guilt flow though her for leaving Brittany alone. She had been hoping that she was still sleeping.

Brittany flashed her a smile that looked real, but Santana could tell that it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah. My back was bothering me, but I found a position to sit in that helped."

"Did you have a good nap?" Marcus asked.

"Yep." Brittany chirped.

"I'm going to walk Marcus out and then I'll be back in a few minutes." Santana said.

"Sure take your time." Brittany said.

"It was nice meeting you, Brittany. I hope you feel better soon." Marcus said with a little wave.

"It was nice meeting you too. Have a safe trip and thanks again for the chocolates." Brittany said with a genuine smile.

"Okay, I'll be back shortly." Santana said and she and Marcus went outside.

"She seems really nice. I like her." Marcus said as they walked to his car.

"Yeah, she is." Santana said with a little sigh. "I just feel bad that she's going through so much shit right now."

"She'll be okay." Marcus said with a little chuckle. "I know she will be with as much attention as you're giving her. She barely moves and you're all over her making sure she's okay." He teased.

"So, like that's a crime? I saw her passed out in that car and how scared she was. I just feel a pull to be there for her and help her in any way I can." Santana said defending herself. Maybe she was being a little over cautious, but she just wanted to make everything as easy as possible on Brittany.

"It's not a bad thing. It's kinda cute to see this nurturing side of you. It's like the anti-Snixx."

"Hey, Snixx is still here." She said pointing her finger at him.

"Oh I know; I won't forget that." He said and then pulled her into his arms for a hug. "I'm really going to miss you."

"Yeah, I'll miss you too." Santana said with a little sigh.

He was her boyfriend, but out of everything, he was one of her best friends first, and they always spent the summers together. It was going to be different for sure, but she was glad that she was going to have Brittany to keep her company because she knew that Quinn and Mike were probably going to be spending a lot of time together too.

Marcus pulled back from the hug and kissed Santana softly, but before he could deepen the kiss, Santana pulled away from it. "You better go." She said with a little smile. "Knowing you, you haven't packed yet."

Marcus chuckled. "You're right. Mom was yelling at me to do my laundry earlier, so I'll be doing that as soon as I get home."

Santana shook her head at him, but she was not surprised. He always procrastinated when it came to things like that.

"So, I'll see you in the morning?" He asked.

"Yep." Santana said with a nod.

"Alright, see you then." He said with a smile and pecked her lips one last time before he got in his car and left.

When Santana came into the house, she went to the couch and sat beside Brittany. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

Brittany shook her head. "I'm not in any more pain than I was earlier."

"That's good." Santana said. "I was little worried that it got worse because you just stopped talking a few times tonight, but you wouldn't let me rub your back."

Brittany looked down, which caused Santana to furrow her eyebrows, "I'm sorry if I worried you. It's probably silly of me, but I didn't want to be in the way of your time with Marcus on your last night together."

Santana sighed and shook her head. "Britt, you're not silly, but this is your home now, and you don't have to feel like you're ever in the way."

"I know, but if I was dating someone that was leaving for the summer I'd probably want them to myself and not have to share them with someone else."

"I'm going to see Marcus in the morning before he leaves, so he'll get me to himself for a few hours." Santana said with a shrug. "But just so you know he was fine hanging out with you tonight."

"He seems like a nice guy."

"He is." Santana said with a little smile. "Anyways, do you wanna go upstairs to see your new room?"

"Yeah." Brittany nodded.

"Okay. Just so you know, it was the guest room, so there isn't a TV or anything fancy in there, but I'm sure mom won't have any problem with you putting things in there to make it your room."

"I'm sure it's fine as it is. It's already better than the back of my car." Brittany said matter-of-factly. She wasn't going to be fussy about the décor of the room.

Santana's felt her heart drop at the reminder that Brittany used to live in her car, and she berated herself in her head for once again being inadvertently insensitive about her previous situation. Santana cleared her throat and stood up. "Well you can leave it the way it is if you like it that way, but if you wanted to do anything to decorate it, Mom won't care. Maybe we can do it together."

"Yeah, that'd be fun." Brittany said taking Santana's hand to help her stand.

Santana helped her up and they slowly made their way up the stairs. When they finally made it to the top, Maribel came out of the office.

"And what are you two girls up to?"

"I was going to show Brittany her room and then I thought that we could hang out in my room so we don't have to go back downstairs." Santana said.

"That's probably be for the best." Maribel said agreeing. "The less you have to deal with the stairs until you can bare weight, the better."

"Yeah." Brittany said with a nod. She was tired from just going up them once. She couldn't imagine how she would feel doing it multiple times.

"Here's your room." Maribel said walking a few steps down the hallway and flipping on the light in the room.

Brittany stopped in the doorway and looked around. She saw all of her things that were in her car and the few things that she had at the hospital sitting on the bed. She thought the room looked nice. She was just so happy to have a safe place to stay. "Thank you. I love it."

"You're welcome." Maribel said with a warm smile. "So how are you feeling?"

"About the same." Brittany said.

Maribel nodded. "It'll probably be like that for a few more days. You can have another dose of Tylenol in about four hours. I already put the bottle by your bed with a bottle of water."

"Okay, thanks Mrs. Lopez."

"No problem. I have a few more things I have to do in my office before I go to bed, but if you need me for anything, my room is at the opposite end of the hallway, next to the office, and your room is next to Santana's and across the hall from the bathroom." Maribel said pointing to Santana's door at the other end of the hallway and then the bathroom.

"Alright."

"You girls have fun, but don't stay up too late. You both need rest." Maribel said.

"Yes Mama." Santana said.

"Okay, night." Maribel said and kissed Santana on her forehead and she kissed Brittany on her cheek before she turned to go back to the office.

Brittany touched her cheek and she felt her eyes prick trying to hold back tears. "I haven't had anyone give me a kiss goodnight in a long time. Not since my dad got really bad." She said once she and Santana were in her room.

Santana didn't know what to say so she just nodded.

"I like your mom." Brittany said sitting on the end of her new bed.

"She's great." Santana said with a little smile.

"I hope I can pay her back one day."

"Brittany, you don't have to. Trust me, if my mom didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here."

"Okay." Brittany said with a happy smile.

"So why don't you change into your pajamas, and we'll hang out in my room. I'll give you a back rub, because I know it's hurting."

"Yeah, it is, but you don't have to rub my back if you don't want to."

"I do, now get changed. I'll come back in a few minutes to get you."

"Alright." Brittany said with a little giggle and unzipped her suitcase.

A few minutes later, Santana came back in, wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts. Brittany was dressed similarly, except she had on a t-shirt. They went into Santana's room and Brittany started giggling.

"What?" Santana asked.

"Your room is just like I expected. I knew you liked dark colors."

"I like all colors." Santana said as she pulled back the blanket on her bed, and then she amended that statement. "Except pink. I'm not a fan."

Brittany just giggled again. "I love pink."

Santana chuckled and helped Brittany onto her bed. "I'm not even surprised by that."

Santana rounded the bed and sat beside Brittany. She hit play on the DVD player turning on a movie that had already been in the player. She took one of the decorative throw pillows for her bed and put it in her lap.

"Lay your head down." She said leaning up against the headboard.

Brittany laid down, wincing a little as she moved. Once she was settled, Santana started rubbing her back. A few minutes later, Brittany moved a little more onto her stomach and then she shifted around a few times.

"Are you uncomfortable?" Santana asked.

"A little bit."

"Is the back rub helping?"

"Umm…"

"Am I hurting you?" Santana asked moving her hand away from Brittany's back.

"No, it's helping," Brittany said quickly because she didn't want Santana to think she hurt her, "but the shirt rubbing against my skin is kinda bothering me."

"Oh…" Santana said. "Um, do you want me to try rubbing your back under the shirt? Or is that too much?" Santana said, quickly asking the last part because she didn't want Brittany to think that she was a being a creep.

"No, I mean, yes can you try that, if you don't mind. My back is really hurting and your massage from earlier helped it feel a little better."

"Okay." Santana said and she reached down, pulling up Brittany's shirt as far as she could without pulling her arms out. She looked down at her back below her shoulder blades, and saw that it was bare, but thankfully free of bruises.

She started to massage Brittany's back, and lightly applied pressure with her fingertips, being careful not to hurt Brittany any more than she already was.

"That feels so much better." Brittany sighed contently and rested her injured hand on Santana's legs.

"That's good." Santana said softly.

This time as they watched the movie, they didn't say much, but it wasn't uncomfortable or alarming to Santana as it had been earlier. She just felt content, and without even noticing it, she started playing with Brittany's hair with her free hand as she continued to rub her back.

Brittany obviously noticed immediately, but it felt so soothing, that she didn't say anything. She just smiled and snuggled into the pillow a little more.

When the movie ended, Brittany was asleep, and Santana could hardly keep her eyes open.

"Britt." Santana yawned, lightly shaking Brittany. "Britt, it's time to go to bed."

Brittany moaned from being woken up and turned her head to look up at Santana. "Huh?"

"You fell asleep. We should get you in bed."

Brittany blinked a few times as she let the words sink in. "Um…can I sleep in here with you?" She asked in a small voice. "I know it's stupid, but I don't want to be alone."

Santana smiled at her and nodded. "That's not stupid, and yes, you can sleep in here as long as you need."

Brittany flashed her a sleepy smile. "Thanks. It can be like a sleep over." Brittany mumbled as she shifted her heavy head out of Santana's lap and onto the pillow beside Santana.

"Yeah." Santana giggled as she turned off the TV, and then reached over to turn off the lamp beside her bed. When she shifted down into the bed, she turned on her side and faced Brittany. "If you need anything let me know, don't worry about waking me."

"I will." Brittany murmured.

"Sleep well Britt."

"Sweet dreams." Brittany whispered moving to the edge of her pillow so she could be as close to Santana as she could without touching her.

"Night." Santana said, but Brittany was already asleep again. Santana laid there, listening to the soft and soothing sounds of Brittany breathing for a few minutes until it lulled her to sleep as well.

-()-()-()-()-

The calm that settled into the Lopez house after everyone had gone to sleep lasted only a few hours until a nightmare in the middle of the night woke Brittany up, causing her to scream and bolt up from the bed.

Santana was pulled from her sleep by the bloodcurdling scream and she scrambled to turn on her lamp. Her heart nearly broke when she saw how upset and scared Brittany looked. "Britt, what happened?" She asked alarmed.

"Santana!" Brittany sobbed and wrapped her arms around Santana holding her tight to her. She buried her nose into Santana's neck as she cried.

Brittany was sweaty and it was rubbing off on Santana, but she didn't care, she just cared about comforting Brittany. "Ssshh, it's okay. It was just a nightmare." She said trying to soothe her, but before she could say anything else, her mother scared her as she flung open the bedroom door and ran into the room holding a baseball bat.

"What happened?" Maribel yelped almost panicked.

"She had a nightmare." Santana said, running her hand up and down Brittany back.

" _Oh."_ Maribel sighed putting a hand over her pounding heart. She was relieved that no one had been harmed. She came over to the bed, sat down behind Brittany, and lightly rubbed her arm. "When was the last time she took her pills?"

"Whenever you gave them to her last." Santana said. It had not been time for Brittany to take another dose when they fell asleep.

"I'll go get them." Maribel said and left the room taking the bat with her.

Santana just held Brittany as she muttered, "you're okay, you're safe," over and over again until Maribel came into the room with a damp cloth and the bottle of water and Tylenol that had been on the nightstand beside Brittany's bed.

Maribel sat on the bed again and waited for Brittany to calm down a little before she offered her the pills. Brittany reluctantly pulled away from Santana, tears still welling in her eyes as she accepted the medication and took a drink from the water bottle. When she handed the bottle back to Maribel she took Santana's hand into her own as Maribel gently wiped her face and neck with the cloth.

"Honey, are you going to be okay?" Maribel asked softly as she placed a comforting hand on top of Santana and Brittany's clasped hands.

"It was just a bad dream…of the accident." Brittany whimpered. "Only it was worse, nobody found me and the car caught on f-fire."

Santana put her arm around Brittany and held her hand a little tighter. "You're safe here. It wasn't real." Santana said again, just to reassure her, because she knew how real dreams could feel.

Maribel nodded in understanding. She knew these kinds of dreams would happen for a little while. "Can I get you anything?"

Brittany shook her head and rested her head on Santana's shoulder.

"Alright." Maribel said with a warm smile and she leaned in, kissing both girls on their foreheads, being careful to mind the bandaged and bruised cut on Brittany's. "You two try to get some sleep, and if you need me, come and get me."

"Okay, thanks Mama." Santana said. When Maribel closed the door behind her, Santana leaned back so she could look at Brittany. "Do you want to lay down again?" Brittany didn't answer her though; she just sat there, holding onto Santana and nervously biting her lip. After a few moments, Santana tried again, "Britt?"

This time Brittany turned her head and looked at her. "Can you hold me until I fall asleep?" Brittany asked in a low voice. "I'm just…It just seemed so real, and you weren't there to help me and I was all alone when the car caught on fire and-" Brittany rambled on, but Santana cut her off.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." She said cupping Brittany's cheeks with her hands forcing Brittany to look at her because she didn't want her to get worked up again. "It's okay. You're safe. I'll hold you." She said letting go of Brittany's face and laid down again. She held her arms open, "Come on." She said with a warm smile inviting Brittany to lay down as well.

Brittany curled into Santana's side, resting her head on her chest and wrapping her arm around her waist holding her close. "Thanks." Brittany said, but then added, "I'm sorry if you think this is weird."

Santana reached over to turn off the bedside lamp before she wrapped her arm around Brittany and rested her other hand on Brittany's arm that was across her stomach. "It's okay. I don't think it's weird." She said and she noted how she meant those words.

She didn't say them to make Brittany feel better. She didn't mind holding Brittany, which should have been weird, because she couldn't imagine holding Quinn like that, not that she would let her anyways, but strangely enough, holding Brittany felt right.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Another chapter updated! I hope you all liked the update, and as always, I love feedback, so if you have a moment or two to send your thoughts about what you think of the story so far, I'd really appreciate it.

Much thanks to my beta **naynay1963** for her help in proof reading, even while she was sick.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next month passed by very quickly. Maribel had taken a few days off work after Brittany moved in with them to help her adjust and to make sure that she took it easy and rested. They left the house only on a few occasions for doctor's appointments, court, and to go out to eat, but most days Brittany only went as far as the downstairs or she and Santana hung out in Santana's bedroom and found ways to keep themselves occupied. Her injuries were healing and getting better, but they were still tender, so she avoided anything strenuous. She could walk on her own now, but it was still with a limp.

Every night was like a sleepover for Brittany and Santana, as Brittany had only attempted to sleep in her room once since arriving at the Lopez house. It had been a night that Maribel was working an overnight shift, but after another horrific nightmare plagued her dreams, she went back to sleeping in the same room as Santana. They noticed that her nightmares were calmer or non-existent when she slept close to Santana.

The transfer of Brittany's guardianship had gone well legally, but unfortunately, it was emotionally draining for her. Since she was seventeen, she had to be present in court to tell the judge what she would like to happen with her guardianship, and seeing her dad for the first time in weeks and how broken and sad he looked really hurt Brittany. She fought tears until they were about to part ways and her dad asked for a hug. She couldn't help crying as she embraced him. She told her dad that she loved him and that she hoped that he would get better, which he promised he would, but Brittany wasn't sure.

For the most part, Brittany was adjusting well to her new life in Lima away from her father and dealing with her injuries and pregnancy. She was happy to be living with the Lopezes, but even so, she still had some moments where her thoughts would get the better of her and she'd get upset or start to cry. Throughout it all, Santana had been by Brittany's side helping her, keeping her company, and comforting her on the bad days. Maribel had been there too, and Brittany loved her for being the supportive parental figured that she needed and craved, but the friendship that she had developed with Santana in just a few short weeks was one that she held close to her heart. Santana was the friend that she had been longing for, for years, and having a real friend again helped her to start to come out of her shell. She didn't feel isolated anymore and she felt more like herself again.

Santana felt as if they had truly become best friends as well. They spent very little time apart since they met, and she quickly realized that she got along better with Brittany than she did with Quinn and even Marcus. She never found herself annoyed or upset with Brittany, and she was surprised that she never tired of being around her. She had always been one that enjoyed having time to herself, but she didn't mind having Brittany around all the time. In fact, she thoroughly enjoyed her company. They could talk about anything and Santana even shared things with Brittany that she had never shared with any of her other friends, which was a big deal for Santana because there weren't many people she trusted with her thoughts, feelings, or secrets, but she never had trouble telling them to Brittany.

Within a few weeks, they had become closer friends with each other than they have ever had before, which they both appreciated, but as much as they liked being together, they were both starting to get a little cabin fever just sitting around the house. Brittany had had enough rest and she wanted to use the pool.

"San?" Brittany said gently as she rolled over. She didn't wake up though; she just grunted and held the blanket closer to her, so Brittany leaned down so her lips were close to her ear. "Santana." She said sweetly as she lightly shook Santana's shoulder.

This time Santana opened her eyes, turning her head towards Brittany and she almost bumped their faces together. "Hey. Are you okay?" She asked, not only out of genuine concern, but also out of habit because every time Brittany woke her up, it was usually because she needed something."

Brittany smiled brightly and nodded. "I feel fine. I wanna go swimming!" She chirped as she sat up.

Santana smiled but it morphed into a yawn.

"So can we finally go swimming?" Brittany asked with a little bounce.

Santana chuckled and she nodded. "Sure."

Maribel had told them the night before that Brittany could go into the pool now that her ankle and wrist were a little better, but she still had to be careful with them and the cut on her forehead. It was healing and the stitches were out, but Maribel wanted it to be cleaned thoroughly after being in the pool.

"Yes!" Brittany cheered and pumped her fist. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up. "I'm going to get changed." She said limping out of the room to get her swimsuit from her own room.

Santana laid in bed for a few more minutes before she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got up to change into her suit. She looked in the mirror and pulled her hair up into a ponytail before she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she got there, she stopped dead in her tracks in the entrance. Standing at the sink was Brittany in a pink and blue bikini doing nothing more than putting toothpaste onto her brush, but Santana had been stunned by her appearance. She knew Brittany was fit, she had given her a back rub enough times to know that she had good muscle tone, but this was the first time that she had seen so much of her body, and she couldn't help but to stare with her mouth open.

When Brittany turned her head and started giggling, catching Santana's not so subtle stare, it broke her out of her moment and she felt her whole body heat up in embarrassment for leering.

"Like what you see?" Brittany teased with a little wink and then looked Santana up and down. "I do." She said with another playful giggle.

For a few seconds, Santana didn't know how to answer and she felt another wave of heat hit her from Brittany's comment about her own body, but finally she just nodded. "Damn Britt. You have better abs than I do, and you're pregnant! How the hell did you get so fit?"

"Dance." Brittany said with a little shrug. "Whenever I would feel bad, which was pretty often, I'd go down into the basement at my old house, and I would just turn on some music and dance until I felt better. It helped me a lot."

"What kind of dance?"

"All kinds. I would watch videos on YouTube and then teach myself how to do it. I got to be pretty good, but hip-hop was my favorite though."

"I didn't know you could dance. I bet you would have made it onto the cheerios." Santana said. She knew Sue would have loved to have a girl that looked like Brittany and had a dance ability.

Brittany sighed. It wasn't a sad sigh, but more one where she lamented 'what could have been'. She put her hands over her belly and looked at it. "That would have been nice, but I can't be a cheerleader while pregnant. I'm going to be pregnant for most of senior year." She was already eight weeks pregnant, and due at the end of February. "And these abs are going to be replaced with a huge belly soon. I can already tell that it's changing, even if I don't look pregnant."

"Aww, it'll be okay." Santana said encouragingly. "I'm sure your body will bounce back right away, but even if it doesn't, you'll still be beautiful."

Brittany looked up at Santana and she smiled. "Thanks San."

"You're welcome." She said smiling, and they had another one of their countless moments where they just gazed at each other while smiling.

This one seemed to last a little longer than most, but eventually it started to feel too heavy for Santana, and she had to look away.

"So um…can I share that with you?" She asked pointing to the toothpaste.

"Oh yeah!" Brittany said with a little giggle and handed it to her.

Once they had finished brushing their teeth, they went downstairs to eat a late breakfast/early lunch as it was almost eleven o'clock. Maribel had left early for work, but she had made pancakes and left them wrapped on the counter to be reheated later.

They were halfway through eating when Santana's phone rang. It was Quinn.

"Hey Q." Santana said answering.

" _Hey! What are you doing?"_

"Eating. Britt and I are going out to the pool after, why?"

" _Mike and I were wondering if you guys wanted to hang out. I haven't seen you since the first day of summer and we haven't even met Brittany yet. Are you hiding her or something?"_ She teased.

"No, I'm not hiding her. She was recovering." Santana said rolling her eyes. "Hold on." She said and put her hand over the phone. "Quinn and Mike want to hang out. She's giving me crap for not meeting you yet."

Brittany smiled, perking up, but her mouth was full so it looked like she had chipmunk cheeks. She quickly swallowed. "Yes!" She cheered excitedly. "I can't wait to meet your friends."

"Okay." Santana chuckled and then took her hand away from the phone. "Bring Boy Chang and come hang out with us by the pool."

" _Awesome!"_ Quinn chirped. _"We'll be over in a few minutes."_

"Just let yourself in." Santana said and hung up. "They'll be here in a few minutes." She said to Brittany.

"Okay. Do you think they'll like me?" Brittany asked looking down and pushing a cut up piece of pancake around in the syrup on her plate.

She wanted to meet Santana's friends. She was looking forward to it, but her experience with having trouble making friends worried her. She was a little afraid they wouldn't like her.

Santana picked up on it though and put her hand on Brittany's. "Of course they will, Britt. I mean, how could they not like you? You're awesome." She said with a warm smile.

Brittany looked up at her smiling and she turned her hand to lace her fingers with Santana's. "Thanks."

"It'll be okay, I promise."

Brittany nodded and chuckled at herself. "I know I'm being silly. It's just that I had so many people at my old school ignore me and dislike me for no reason and I always feel like new people will treat me the same way when they meet me. One person labeled me weird and stupid, and started making fun of me, and it was like no one wanted to be associated with me after that because they didn't want to be labeled weird or stupid too."

Santana lightly squeezed Brittany's hand. "Brittany, those people are horrible for treating you like that." She said, and she felt a pang of guilt because she knew that she had been mean to others for no reason as well, just because they were low on the high school social ladder. After seeing how it affected Brittany, she silently vowed to herself that she would try to be a better person. "You should never feel like you're weird or stupid. You aren't. You're smart and you're an incredible person. Anyone that doesn't see that doesn't deserve to have even a second of your time."

Brittany smiled widely. "I'm glad I met you. You always make me feel better."

"I'm glad we met too." Santana said.

They got caught in another gaze, but this time Brittany was the one that broke eye contact first. She looked down to her plate, pierced a piece of pancake with her fork, and brought it up to her mouth. She gave Santana a goofy smile as she chewed and she lightly squeezed their still clasped hands. Santana giggled and started eating again. They ate the rest of their breakfast in comfortable silence, sharing shy smiles.

They were just finishing up when Quinn and Mike came into the house, and Quinn called out to Santana.

"We're in the kitchen." Santana said. She let go of Brittany's hand and stood up, taking both of their plates to the sink.

"Ugh, there you are. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to see you all summer. You totally ditched me!" Quinn said as she came into the room and Brittany thought she looked annoyed.

Santana rolled her eyes and went to stand next to Brittany again. "Don't even make it seem like it's my fault. You know you and Boy Chang have been doing god knows what together. You ditched me, but that's okay, I have my girl Britt. She's better company anyways."

For a second, Brittany thought they were fighting and she started to get anxious, but then she saw Quinn crack a smile and she realized that they were just playing around.

"Okay, you're right. Mike and I have been busy." She said and then turned to Brittany. "Hi, I'm Quinn Fabray and this is my boyfriend Mike Chang."

Brittany smiled at them and waved and Mike returned the wave with a goofy grin. "Hi, I'm Brittany S. Pierce."

Quinn chuckled. "Did you say your name was Britney Spears; because that's kinda cool? I'd totally use that to my advantage."

Brittany shook her head giggling. "No, Brittany S. Pierce." She said annunciating better. "Although I'm a better dancer than her." She said waving her hand.

"You're a dancer?" Mike asked perking up. "Me too. What's your favorite?"

"Hip-Hop."

"Mine too! We should dance together."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Brittany said smiling. Her nervousness about them liking her was starting to lessen.

"Well just be careful." Santana said. "She's still recovering."

Brittany looked up at Santana with fondness. "I'll be careful San."

"Damn Santana, you're like a mama bear." Quinn teased, and she noticed that Santana put her arm around the back of Brittany's chair in a protective manner.

Santana raised an eyebrow at Quinn, but before she could say anything, Brittany spoke. "No she's right. I have to be careful. I don't want to hurt myself again. I have a little bun in the oven that I need to be healthy for; so maybe dancing right now isn't the best idea, but maybe someday when I'm better we can dance together."

"Sure. Whenever you want." Mike said.

"So are we going to sit in here all day or are we going to go out to the pool." Santana said.

"Yes!" Quinn and Brittany chirped at the same time.

They both chuckled.

"I wanna swim." Brittany said with a smile.

"And I need to relax and tan." Quinn said pulling her sunglasses off the top of her head and turned towards the back yard.

Before going outside, Santana stopped by the cabinet that her mother kept stuff for the pool, and she handed everyone a towel, and then she grabbed two different bottles of sunscreen. A low SPF for herself and a special one that her mother brought home a few days prior for Brittany to use. It was zinc based with an SPF of 70, and most importantly, it was recommended for use during pregnancy. Santana and Brittany didn't even know that regular sunscreen shouldn't be used during pregnancy.

They went out to the pool spreading their towels on loungers. Santana sat down and patted the spot beside her for Brittany to sit. "Come on; let me put it on your back and shoulders." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." Brittany chirped and sat down, turning her back towards Santana.

Santana started putting the cream on her back and Brittany giggled. "It's cold."

"Aww, I'm sorry. It'll warm up in a minute."

"It feels weird. Like it's thicker than normal sunscreens."

"I think it is. It's taking longer to rub in." Santana said and she had to add a little more pressure than she normally would.

"That's okay. It feels good." Brittany said.

"Okay good. If I push too hard and hurt you, just let me know." Santana said lifting the strap of Brittany's bikini top and rubbing underneath.

"You've given me tons of back rubs and you haven't hurt me yet. I trust you."

Quinn was sitting on the lounger beside them and Mike was putting tanning oil on her back, but she wasn't paying attention to him, because she was too busy watching Santana and Brittany interact. She raised a curious eyebrow as she watched them because she had never seen Santana be so gentle with anyone before.

"So what have you two been up to?" Quinn asked.

"Just hanging out while Brittany rested." Santana said.

"I think we've watched every movie in the house and played every board game. We even started to make up games." Brittany said with a chuckle.

"I think after the first couple of days, I would be bored out of my mind." Quinn said.

"I wasn't bored." Santana said honestly.

Brittany turned her head to look at Santana. "Really?"

Santana shook her head. "No, were you?"

"No, not at all, but I was afraid that you would get bored of just hanging out with me."

"I mean I was starting to get a little cabin fever, so I'm glad you're allowed to use the pool now, but I didn't mind just watching movies and playing games with you. I had fun." Santana said, and truth be told if Brittany's injuries had been more severe and required that she spend even more time just resting, Santana would have gladly sat around the house for another few weeks with her.

"Me too." Brittany cooed.

"Santana how's Marcus?" Mike asked. "We've called each other a few times, but it's been a while since I've talked to him."

"He's good I think." She said rubbing Brittany's shoulders and she noticed that they tensed briefly before they relaxed. "Did I hurt you?" She asked Brittany.

"No." Brittany answered.

"You _think_ he's okay?" Quinn asked raising her eyebrow again. "You haven't talked to him?"

"Well not today." Santana said. "We usually talk at night."

"I'm surprised he doesn't call you every day, multiple times, to ask for permission to go out." Quinn teased chuckling.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Cute Q." She deadpanned. She wasn't that controlling and Quinn knew that.

At first Marcus had called her multiple times a day, but it quickly got to the point where they didn't have much to say, so they decided to call in the evening, but their call times were getting shorter and shorter because they both had other things and people that were keeping them busy.

"I'm only kidding." Quinn said. "What's he been doing?"

"He said he's been hanging out with his cousin, and they go out almost every night, so I don't think he's bored." Santana said and then patted Brittany on her shoulders. She was done with her back.

"Can you do my face?" Brittany asked because of her cut. She wanted to make sure it was done correctly.

"Sure." Santana said and Brittany turned around facing her.

"This is getting a lot better." Santana said with a smile and lightly rubbed the area below the cut on her forehead.

Brittany didn't say anything, she just smiled at Santana as she gently rub her the cream onto her face.

When Santana finished, she gave her the bottle to put the rest of the cream on herself while she started to put on her own. When Brittany was finished, she offered to do Santana's back as well. Santana gave her the bottle and turned around.

Brittany put the lightweight cream into her hands and started to rub her hands on Santana's back. Within a few moments, Santana felt her breath hitch in her chest. She wasn't sure why her body started to heat up and tingle as Brittany's deft fingers rubbed into her skin. It felt good, almost too good, and before she could stop herself, she let out a sigh that might have been a moan. She wasn't sure because it sounded louder in her head than it actually was and she turned her head to see if anyone noticed, but Quinn was lying on her chair and Mike was in the pool already. They didn't seem to notice. She almost breathed a sigh of relief except Brittany leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"You seem so tense. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Santana tried to say normally, but it came out as a squeak.

"Maybe I should start giving you back rubs to work out these knots." Brittany said with a little giggle.

All Santana could do was let out a nervous chuckle because she didn't trust herself to speak. She wasn't sure what was going on. She had given Brittany multiple back rubs over the past few weeks to help her with her injuries, and not once did she get silly, but the first time that Brittany touched her that way her body started acting weird. She guessed it was because it felt really, _really_ good, but she still couldn't explain why she was acting so strangely.

Santana tried to clear her head from over thinking things, but when Brittany slowly ran her hands down her lower back and over her hips, she felt a pull in her lower abdomen and she practically jumped up from her seat, because she realized why her body was doing what it was doing. She was aroused, and that scared her, because Brittany was a girl and she shouldn't feel that way about her. Ever. She glanced down at the look on Brittany's face, which was a mixture of startled and amused by her sudden movement, and Santana knew she had to get away from her because she thought it was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. Even if she only put some distance between them for a few minutes, it would be enough for her to calm down.

"Um, I'm ready to swim!" She blurted. "It's hot out here!" She squeaked and then quickly ran over to the pool and jumped in, splashing Quinn and Brittany.

Brittany giggled when the water hit her, but Quinn wasn't amused. "Hey! Watch it!" She grouched sitting up.

"Come on you two, get in the pool!" Mike said with a little laugh and splashed them again.

"Michael Chang, you do that again and you _won't_ like it." Quinn said with a piercing look.

Mike's swallowed hard at the threat and put his hands behind his back.

"Quinn, stuff it and get in the damn pool!" Santana said taking the opportunity to splash Quinn, because while Mike might have been afraid of what she would do to him, Santana was not, and messing with Quinn made her feel normal and took her mind off why Brittany touching her had aroused her. She just wanted to forget it all together.

"No, I wanna sunbathe." Quinn said and laid down, but Santana splashed her again. "Santana I'm warning you, cut it out!" She yelled, but didn't sit up.

A moment later though, she was wet again and Santana was laughing hysterically because Brittany had jumped into the pool with a cannon ball and a large amount of water had splashed on her.

"What the hell?!" Quinn shrieked, sitting up and taking her sunglasses off to glare at them. She was pretty much soaked now.

"Nice Britt!" Santana said when she came over to stand beside her and they were both laughing. The more she laughed at Quinn's annoyance, and the more playful she became, the faster the weirdness that she had been feeling started to fade.

"Quinn you might as well get in the water, because we're just going to bug the hell out of you until you do." Santana said and splashed her again.

"Santana." Quinn growled in warning.

"Lucy." Santana mocked and she glanced at Brittany and they both splashed her again.

"Okay, that's it." Quinn snapped and jumped up from her seat. "You're both dead." She threatened and jumped in the pool, but as soon as she surfaced, she was being splash attacked by Santana and Brittany. "Mike help me!" She yelled splashing them back and Mike jumped into the fun.

-()-()-()-()-

Later that afternoon, around five o'clock, Quinn and Mike went home, leaving Santana and Brittany home alone as Maribel wouldn't be home for another couple of hours. They both went to take a shower, Brittany in their shared bathroom, and Santana in Maribel's bathroom. When they were dressed, they met in Santana's room.

"I'm starving!" Brittany playfully whined as she walked into Santana's room with the supplies that Santana would need to clean the cut on her forehead.

"Yeah, me too." Santana said and sat down on the side of her bed, taking the things from Brittany and setting them on her nightstand.

Brittany sat beside Santana, but she sat so closely that when she settled into place, their legs were touching. It was a natural move for Brittany, and Santana realized that they sat like this numerous times over the past few weeks, and up until today, it had never been an issue. She hadn't even notice it, but after her moment by the pool where she felt aroused by Brittany touching her, she felt hyper aware of any prolonged contact between them. At first, she thought her arousal was just a fluke, a one-time thing that was never going to happen again, but when it came time to reapply their sunscreen she knew that it wasn't.

Santana tried not to, but she liked it when Brittany touched her. It felt good, and she racked her brain trying to find a way to justify it. She had just about convinced herself that she liked it because it felt like a massage, and massages were supposed to feel good, but then when she reapplied Brittany's sunscreen, her theory fell apart. Now that she was looking at things from a different angle, she realized that she liked the way Brittany's skin felt against her own, and she felt a pull to touch more of it…which totally freaked her out again.

She tried to distract her thoughts as she quickly applied the thick cream onto Brittany's back, and as soon as she could, she moved off Brittany's lounger and onto her own. She needed space again. For the rest of the afternoon she tried to avoid any sort of physical contact between them, which was hard, because this whole episode gave her another realization. She and Brittany touched all the time, in one way or another.

Santana scooted back a few inches so their legs weren't touching anymore, and reached over to grab a cotton ball and the hydrogen peroxide.

"I had a lot of fun with you today." Brittany said with a smile hoping to get Santana to smile at her. She had noticed the change in Santana. She wasn't sure what was causing it, but she knew something was on her mind and she wasn't acting the way she usually did.

"I did too." Santana said with a little smile. Despite everything that she was dealing with, she had had a good time. She rubbed the wet cotton ball on Brittany's healing cut.

Brittany took that as a small victory and her smiled widened. "I like Quinn and Mike. He's really nice, and she's… she's a little intense, but still cool."

Santana couldn't help but to laugh as she threw the cotton ball into the trash can beside the bed. "She not a 'little intense', she's 'a lot intense'."

"Okay, you're right." Brittany said with a little giggle. "I don't know her that well, so I was trying to be nice, but I still liked her. She seems like she could be a good friend."

"She has her moments." Santana said, and Brittany wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but she didn't ask her to elaborate, she just watched her roll the end of a q-tip in Vaseline.

"I hope they liked me." Brittany said. She felt as if they had, but her old insecurities wouldn't allow her to believe it completely without reassurance from Santana because she trusted her not to lie to her.

"They loved you. They both did, even Quinn, and she never likes anyone right away." Santana said and leaned in a bit so she could gently rub the Vaseline on Brittany's cut. When she was finished cleaning it, she smiled, "All done." She said, but then she looked right at Brittany, which was a mistake because Brittany's smile drew her in.

The just stared at each other for a few moments, and Santana couldn't help thinking how pretty Brittany was, but as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she felt Brittany's hand take her own.

Brittany sighed contently. "Thanks San." She said and rubbed the top of Santana's hand with her thumb, which was something they had both done before, but this time it felt too intimate and Santana's hand started to tingle. It set off alarm bells in her head and she abruptly pulled her hand back from Brittany and stood up.

"Um, I'm going to go downstairs and start dinner." She said nervously and looked away from Brittany as she threw the q-tip into the garbage and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand. When she looked back at Brittany, she saw the confused and almost hurt look on her face and she felt bad, but she needed some space, so she added, "It's been a busy day and you're still recovering. You should stay up here and rest until it's time to eat."

In a way, Santana genuinely meant that, because she knew this was the most activity that Brittany had had since her accident, but for the most part, she was using it as an excuse to get away from Brittany, because she knew Brittany could just as easily rest downstairs with her.

Brittany sighed sadly and she looked away from Santana as she nodded. She recognized a brush off when she saw it. She had plenty of experience with them. The only thing she couldn't understand was why Santana was doing it. She didn't understand what had changed with her because as far as she knew, she hadn't done anything that was different.

"I'm going to go take a nap in my room." Brittany said in a low voice and she wouldn't look at Santana as she stood up.

Santana already felt bad, and now she felt terrible because she could see how upset Brittany was. As much as she wanted to let her leave without saying anything, she couldn't, so when Brittany opened the door, she said, "Sleep well Britt."

Brittany stopped when she heard that, but she didn't turn around. She just stood there for a moment or two, and then she limped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

When Santana heard the door to Brittany's room close, she winced. She was so mad at herself. "Shit." She spat and threw one of the throw pillows on her bed across the room.

-()-()-()-()-

As Santana was cooking dinner, she tried to understand why she was acting so strangely around Brittany. She thought that it was because she hadn't seen Marcus in a few weeks, and she was just craving the physical attention that he gave her, so she called him, thinking that talking to him and hearing his voice would help her clear her head from this Brittany nonsense, but it didn't. In fact, it did the opposite, because deep down inside her, in a place where she didn't want to admit, she knew that while she cared for Marcus, she never got caught up in his smile, or felt a tingle in her hand just because he had rubbed his thumb on top of it. She hardly ever felt aroused by anything he did, and she had never had that happen with any other guys she had been with before.

Santana refused to believe that she could feel anything for Brittany, other than friendship, and the more she thought about it, trying to justify what she had felt, the angrier she got, because every reason and twist that she managed to come up with to work in her favor was flimsy, and she knew it. Even she didn't believe them.

" _Fuck!"_ Santana snapped in her head. _"What is wrong with me, I'm not into girls! I'm not fucking gay!"_

She was determined to find a plausible reason that proved that she didn't have an attraction to Brittany.

By the time that Maribel arrived home from work, Santana was so distracted with her inner turmoil that she had burnt part of the dinner.

"Hey, Mija! How's it going?" Maribel said as she walked into the kitchen with the mail and kissed Santana on her cheek.

"Hey Mama." Santana said, trying to sound as normal as possible but she was feeling far from normal.

Maribel flipped through the envelopes in her hand, seeing whom they were from before she set them down on the counter. She looked around the room, seeing the slightly burnt chicken and that Santana was alone.

"Where's Brittany?" She asked. It was unusual for her to see Santana alone nowadays.

Santana felt herself tense at the mention of Brittany, but she tried to push it away. "She's taking a nap in her room." Santana said evenly, but not turning to look at her mother. She was afraid she would see how confused and upset she was.

Maribel chuckled. "Really? I was beginning to think that she wasn't ever going to use that room. I was considering getting bunk beds for your room." Maribel joked.

Santana rolled her eyes, because, _"Eww, bunkbeds?"_ but she didn't voice her disgust. "She was tired after swimming and I told her she should rest while I was cooking dinner, so she went in there."

"Yeah, that was probably a good idea." Maribel said. "I'm going to change. I'll get Brittany."

"Okay." Santana said and when her mother left the room, she sighed in frustration. _"Get your shit together Santana!"_ She said in a low, but harsh voice.

She set the table while Maribel was gone, and when they came back, Santana felt terrible, because even though she was upset at herself, there was a part of her that didn't want Brittany to be upset or hurt, and all she had to do was to take one look at Brittany to know that she was. Her shoulders slumped when she sat down and she wouldn't look directly at Santana.

As they all sat down to eat, it was quiet. Too quiet. The only sounds that could be heard was the sounds that their utensils made as they scraped across their plates. Maribel looked between the two girls and she wasn't sure what was going on with them because they were usually chatty, but today they hardly looked at each other. They eyes were fixed to their plates that they were barely eating from, and she doubted it had anything to do with the charred chicken. She guessed that they had had an argument.

"So…how was your day?" Maribel asked to break the silence.

"Fine." Santana and Brittany said at the same time, but their tone was flat.

"It doesn't sound fine." Maribel said, hoping that one of them would open up. "What'd you two do?"

Brittany and Santana glanced up at each other, and while it only lasted a few moments, it felt a lot longer to them. Brittany was the first to break eye contact and she looked back at her plate before she took a bite of her food. She wasn't in the mood to talk.

"We just hung out at the pool with Mike and Quinn." Santana answered. "We were out there all day. I'm kinda tired." She said, pretending to yawn, and returned her attention back to her plate.

"Yeah, me too." Brittany said in a low voice, but she didn't look up.

Maribel just looked between them, and she didn't believe them. She knew there was something going on between them, because she could see that Brittany looked sad, and Santana looked agitated, but also guilty. She considered calling them out, but thought better of it and decided that she would give it some time for them to work it out amongst themselves.

"Well swimming is tiring." Maribel said. "You two should consider going to bed at a decent hour tonight. I swear I've never seen two girls find entertainment out of nothing like you two have." She added with a little chuckle hoping that would help them work through whatever their issue was. She knew that they both enjoyed each other's company. She admired their friendship and she didn't want them to be upset with each other for long.

Brittany and Santana didn't say anything; they just nodded.

The rest of dinner was awkward and quiet, with minimal conversation that was only started by Maribel.

"Let's watch a movie." Maribel said after they cleaned everything up. She was tired from a busy day at work, and really wasn't in the mood for a movie, but she was hoping that a little family time would help thaw their moods.

Santana and Brittany seemed apprehensive, but they agreed. They all went into the living room, and Maribel's suspicions were confirmed when Brittany sat in her usual spot on the couch, but instead of Santana sitting beside her as she usually would, she sat on the love seat by herself.

Brittany had to force herself to keep from crying, and her thoughts were consumed with Santana, because she didn't know what was going on with her. All she knew was that she didn't want to be near her and it really hurt. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees. She stared at the TV as the movie played and wouldn't look in Santana's direction. She was rapidly disappearing into her shell again, and every fear and insecurity that she ever had was starting to resurface.

" _Maybe I did do something to upset her…but what? Maybe I'm just too stupid to figure it out."_

Santana on the other hand tried to ignore Brittany. She wanted to ignore her. She wanted to forget that anything that happened that day ever happened, but as determined as she was to do that, she couldn't. Her mind wouldn't shut off and allow her to concentrate on the movie. All she could think about was how Brittany had made her feel and she was still trying to rationalize it in her head.

" _Okay, yes, she beautiful, and fun, and sweet, but that doesn't mean that I like her like that. She's my friend, that's it. Nothing more. Friends!"_

Santana glanced at Brittany halfway through the movie, and she felt a pang of guilt that just ate her up on the inside, almost as much as her rationalization did, because she knew that she was the cause of Brittany's sadness. She tried to brush it off, but try as she might; she couldn't help but to glance at her every few minutes after that. She wanted to fix it. She wanted to see Brittany smile again, but she didn't know how to do that, because she was afraid to go anywhere near Brittany in case she started to feel… _things_ …so she just sat there, pretending to watch the movie, and rationalize her feelings.

" _I'm not into her. I'm not gay."_ She thought to herself so many times that it became like a mantra.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : I know, you guys are probably mad with me. This chapter didn't have the warm and fuzzy ending for our girls that we all would have liked, but I promise that you won't have to wait too long for the story to progress. The next chapter is already written and with my beta, so I hope to have it updated sometime within the next two weeks, barring any unforeseen issues with her schedule and my own.

Oh and I thought I would add, just in case anyone was wondering, Quinn never got pregnant in this verse.

I'd also like to say thank you for reading and if you have a moment, please send me your thoughts on the story. I know that a lot of people in the Brittana fandom have branched out into other shows and ships, and interest in Brittana fanfictions has lessened considerably from where it was even a few months ago, so if you're still reading my fics, please know that I appreciate your support. I still love Brittana as much today as I did in the beginning and I'm not ready to set them aside.

As always, my beta **naynay1963** deserves so much thanks for all her help.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Almost two weeks had passed since the 'incident' by the pool. Santana was still keeping her distance from Brittany, and it was taking its toll on both of them. When they were with Maribel, they would talk and interact with each other, but it was stiff, clipped, and uncomfortable. When Maribel was at work, Santana would lock herself in her room or find a reason to leave the house so she wouldn't have to be alone with Brittany. She couldn't be that close to her, because it was just too hard to keep her feelings in check.

They did cross paths a few times, mostly going to and from the kitchen or bathroom. Generally, Santana would look down as she walked to avoid eye contact, so a couple of times they bumped into each other. Santana actually had to catch Brittany one day, because as she came around the corner she almost knocked her over. The energy exchange from touching her, and the look Brittany gave her shook Santana to her core.

It was a mix of emotion, because she had to grab Brittany by her hips to keep her from falling. Without thinking, she pulled Brittany into her to steady her and Brittany had wrapped her arms around Santana's shoulders in an effort to steady herself. Their bodies were flush when they stopped moving. Brittany looked down at Santana and they just stared at each other for a few moments. It was the first time that they had really looked at each other since the 'incident'.

"Thanks." Brittany said and she smiled at Santana because for those few moments it felt as if things between them were as they were before.

Santana cracked a small smile before she knew what was going on, and she immediately noted that she missed Brittany's smile, and that it felt nice to be that close to her again, but when she realized that she liked the contact, she abruptly backed off and scowled. She saw how that move cut another wound into Brittany, her smile turning into a frown, and Santana felt terrible again. She ran away to her room so fast, she didn't bother eating lunch that day. She didn't even ask Brittany if she was okay from the stumble. She just holed up in her room until her mother came home that night, trying and failing to keep her mind away from how just a few moments with Brittany had made her feel.

Brittany on the other hand tried to talk to Santana to apologize for whatever she had done to make her dislike her so much, but every time she tried to catch her attention, she would disappear. She had written a dozen notes that she had planned to slip under Santana's door to apologize, but every time she went to do it, she chickened out and tore it up, fearing that it would just push Santana further away from her.

She was so upset over how Santana was acting towards her that she was considering leaving. She was beginning to think that Santana wouldn't come around, and while she didn't want to leave Santana and Maribel, she didn't want to stay where she wasn't wanted. She lived with being unwanted for years, and it was just too much to deal with again. She left for that once before, she could do it again. There was only two things holding her back. Being homeless while pregnant could be disastrous and she didn't want to hurt the baby, and the second reason was that she hadn't lost all hope that Santana would be her friend again. The smile that she had given her almost a week ago when she caught her in the hall, though it was brief, was enough to give Brittany a little more hope.

So she waited, but it wasn't easy. From the start of this whole ordeal, Brittany was sad all the time. Santana's actions and her thoughts and assumptions over the matter would run away from her, and become too heavy sometimes, causing her to cry at random times. She hid her tears though, because she didn't want Santana or Maribel to see her cry, so she would make up an excuse to be alone when she felt the tears coming. Her nightmares about the car accident weren't helping the situation either, because they were showing up more and more, only now, she had to watch Santana stand by the car and ignore her pleas of help. It was mentally and physically exhausting, but Brittany tried to keep her hope alive that Santana could at least stand to be in the same room with her again.

-()-()-()-()-

Another two days passed and Brittany was sitting by the pool by herself, just staring at the water when she heard the door open. She hoped that it was Santana, but she knew that it was Maribel.

"Hi honey." Maribel said as she sat on the lounger beside her and kissed her cheek.

"Hi." Brittany said with a little smile. "How was work?"

"Surprisingly calm."

"So it was a good day?"

"Yeah." Maribel said with a little smile. "How was your day?"

"Good. I just rested in my room until my morning sickness went away, and then I hung out by the pool." Brittany chirped, trying to sound convincing, but Maribel saw right thought it.

She saw what was going on with her and Santana. She saw how it was affecting them. She didn't know what was causing it, but she was trying to give them some time to work it out on their own, but if things didn't change soon, she was going to have to step in.

"That's good. Are you up for going out tonight?" Maribel asked. "I thought we could go to Breadstix."

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Great!" Maribel said and patted her on the leg. "Go get changed and we'll go when you and Santana are ready."

"Okay." Brittany said and slid out of her seat.

When she got to her room, she saw that Santana's door was closed, but she could hear her moving around in there. As she closed her own door, she hoped that dinner went well. Trying to pretend that things were okay around Maribel was stressful. She wasn't even sure why she was doing it, except that she could tell that that was what Santana wanted, so she just played along.

About thirty minutes later, they were all seated in a booth at Breadstix. Maribel made sure that she had a side to herself, so that Santana and Brittany would have to sit beside each other. Brittany was happy to sit next to Santana, but she was apprehensive because she didn't know how she was going to react. Santana on the other hand was nervous, because other than when she caught Brittany in the hall, this was the closest that she had been to her since the 'incident'. Santana slid all the way into the booth and sat close to the wall. Brittany slid in beside her and left room between them because she could see that Santana wasn't really comfortable sitting that close to the wall.

Maribel engaged them in awkward conversation for a few minutes until the waiter come over to take their drink orders. Things got a little better when he brought back the drinks and a basket of breadsticks. Santana reached for one and after the first bite, she seemed to relax a bit, scooting away from the wall, but still keeping some space between her and Brittany.

Throughout dinner, things were still a little stiff between Brittany and Santana, but they were better. Santana seemed more relaxed than she had in weeks, and Brittany was happy for it, because it meant that she could relax too. Everything was okay until Maribel went to the bathroom, and silence fell over the table. They were finished with their meals, but the silence was so uncomfortable that they felt they needed to do something instead of just sitting there, so they both reached for a breadstick at the same time and their hands touched.

Santana felt a small tingle in her hand from touching Brittany's, and she pulled her hand back so fast that she almost dropped the breadstick.

Brittany sighed heavily and didn't even bother picking up a stick. She brought her hand into her lap and she stared at the table for a few moments. She couldn't take it anymore. She needed Santana to tell her what was wrong. "Santana…" she said dejected, "I don't know what I did to make you _hate_ me so much, and I'm sorry that I'm too stupid to figure it out, but…but whatever it is, I'm sorry." She said and then she dared to look up at Santana. "Tell me what I can do to fix it."

Santana felt her heart clench tightly in her chest because she hated herself for making Brittany feel as if she was stupid and that any of this was her fault. She didn't want her to apologize. She knew this whole mess was her fault. She certainly didn't hate Brittany. She liked her too much. That was the problem.

"I don't hate you and you're not stupid." Santana said in a low voice.

"Then why won't you even talk to me or look at me anymore? We were fine, but then all of a sudden it changed. God, Santana I've spent the past two weeks trying to figure out what I did, but I don't know what it is. Please just tell me so I can fix it. I want my friend back." Brittany said, her face pleading for an answer.

Santana didn't know what to say though, because she couldn't just say, _"I've been avoiding you because I think I have a huge crush on you, and I was hoping some distance would make it go away, but it hasn't."_ She was sure that would totally freak Brittany out. She wracked her brain to come up with a good excuse to explain her behavior, and she opened her mouth to speak a few times, but when she didn't say anything after a few moments, Brittany looked down into her lap and shook her head.

"I'm going to go outside. I'm sorry. I'm just…sorry." She said and then left the table quickly.

"Brittany, wait." Santana called out for her, but Brittany didn't stop or turn around, she kept going to the door and left the restaurant. "Shit!" She spat in a low voice and threw the breadstick in her hand onto her plate. She was sure she saw tears forming in Brittany's eyes. She put her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. "I'm a fucking idiot."

Her anger and guilt brewed within her until she heard her mother return to the booth.

"Where's Brittany?"

Santana pulled her hands away from her face and slumped down into her seat, turning her head to look in the direction that Brittany went. "She went outside." She said upset, and it was the first time that she didn't try to hide it from her mother.

Maribel sighed heavily. She had had enough. "Mija, this has gone on long enough. You and Brittany haven't been right for two weeks. I've sat back and kept my mouth shut because I wanted you two to work it out yourselves, but this is getting ridiculous. I don't know what happened, but I think I know you girls well enough to know that the sad look Brittany has all the time, and the guilty look on your face means that you started this. Are you upset that she's living with us? Do you feel like she's taking up too much of my attention?"

"No, that's not it at all."

"Then what is it?"

Santana didn't say anything. She couldn't. She just looked down in her lap and played with her fingers.

After a few moments of silence, Maribel could see that Santana wasn't going to give her any details, so she didn't press for them.

"Okay, so obviously something happened that you need to work out with Brittany, and you need to fix it soon. It's affecting not only you and her, but that stress is not good for the baby either, so whatever it is, work it out, or I'll work it out, because we cannot continue to live like this. It's breaking my heart to see you two on bad terms. You were such good friends. I've never seen anybody take to each other like you two have. I've always told you relationships are important, and the good ones are always worth fighting for. I know you have your pride, you get that from your Abuela, but sometimes you just have to set it aside and say you're sorry."

Santana's head was starting to spin from so many thoughts and emotions running though her. She had made a mess and she didn't know how to clean it up.

-()-()-()-()-

That night when they got home from Breadstix, Maribel went to do some work in the office, leaving the girls to themselves. Brittany gave Santana an expectant look, hoping that she would talk to her, but when Santana looked down; Brittany sighed and went to her room. Santana felt her heart drop at hearing that sigh because she knew she was hurting Brittany. She didn't want to hurt her, but she knew that she had been hurting her for the past few weeks. She was almost cruel to Brittany, considering her history. She honestly felt terrible about it, but Santana's need for self-perseveration was getting in the way of her judgment. She waited a few minutes after Brittany left to go upstairs before she went up herself. She washed off her makeup, changed into her pajamas, and then laid on her bed trying to figure out what to do, because her mother was right. They couldn't continue on this path anymore.

She had stopped trying to rationalize her attraction and feelings for Brittany almost a week ago. She couldn't do it. She liked her smile, her sweet but sometimes snarky personality, the way she laughed, the way she talked, her unique and clever sense of humor, the way she looked, the way her skin felt against her own...the list went on and on. She liked everything about Brittany. She had never liked a boy the way she liked Brittany, not even Marcus, and that was the problem, because while she would admit to herself that the attraction existed, she wasn't going to accept that she might quite possibly be gay.

She saw the way the kids at school treated Kurt. She had made some mean jokes at his expense herself, and not to mention, she was sure Brittany was straight and would freak out if she knew she had feelings for her, and Santana just couldn't deal with any of that. So she built up her walls, and did everything she could to avoid Brittany hoping that the absence would make her feelings go away, but all the absence succeeded in doing was to make her realize how much she missed her and wanted to be around her. She longed to be with Brittany again as they were before, but she didn't know if that was possible. She had messed everything up by developing more than friendly feelings for her, and then she made things even worse by panicking and avoiding her completely.

"Fuck, what am I going to do?" Santana sighed as she rolled over, noticing that it was after midnight and she had been in her room for three hours trying to come up with a way to fix things with Brittany, but she was still no closer than she had been in the beginning.

"Ugh, why do things have to be complicated?" She huffed after a few more minutes. She knew she wasn't going to solve anything that night, so she just decided to go to sleep, and deal with it in the morning.

-()-()-()-()-

Unfortunately, sleep didn't come easy for Santana. She tossed and turned for a few more hours, trying everything to distract her mind, but none of it worked. Finally, around two-thirty, she rolled out of bed. She needed a change of scenery. She crept out of her room and intended to go down to the living room to watch TV, but as she was passing Brittany's room, she heard a noise coming from inside.

Santana knew that Brittany was sad about her withdrawal from her, but she was able to ignore it for the most part, because she didn't see it, but at the first instance of actually witnessing her distress, Santana didn't even hesitate in her decision to help her. It was an automatic and natural reaction to her. She opened the door and peeked in. From the limited light from the nightlight that Brittany had put in her room, she could see that Brittany was having another nightmare. She was whimpering and thrashing around in her sleep, so Santana went over to the bed and slid in behind her, wrapping her arms around her to help calm her.

"Britt, wake up." She said in a soothing voice. "It's not real. It's just a dream."

It took a few moments, but Brittany finally opened her eyes, and she was immediately alarmed that someone was holding her from behind. She thought she was still dreaming. "Who are you? Leave me alone!" She cried trying to get away.

"Shhh, it's just me. You're okay." Santana whispered into her ear as she tightened her hold around her. "You're okay. You're with me." She said and ran her hand up and down Brittany's arm.

"Santana?" Brittany whimpered and turned to look at her. She couldn't believe that she was really there. "You're here?"

"Yeah, Britt. I'm here, see?" She said and gently wiped the tears away from Brittany's face before she took her hand into her own, squeezing it lightly.

Brittany looked down at their hands with an unsure look on her face. Even in the dark that was clear to Santana. "But why? Is this still a dream?" Brittany asked because as far as she knew, Santana couldn't stand to be near her, so why was she being so sweet to her all of a sudden?

Santana's heart dropped in her chest. She deserved that. She hadn't given Brittany a reason to trust her in the past few weeks. "Because I heard you having a nightmare, and I…I just couldn't leave you alone."

Brittany saw the genuine look on Santana's face and sat up, wrapping her arms around Santana and pulling her in for a tight hug. She buried her nose into the crook of her neck and just breathed her in.

Santana didn't even flinch at the contact, she just wrapped her arms around Brittany tightly, and all of a sudden she surprisingly felt lighter.

After a few minutes of just holding each other, Santana finally said, "I'm sorry I've been so shitty to you Britt."

Brittany felt her heart swell. "I'm sorry for making you upset with me."

Santana leaned back from the embrace, but took both of Brittany's hands into her own. "Britt, listen to me, this is in no way your fault, and you don't have to apologize to me. You didn't do anything. It was all me. I was a cold-hearted bitch, and I treated you like crap, and I'm so, so sorry for everything."

Brittany smiled widely and nodded. "I forgive you."

"Really?" Santana asked raising a curious eyebrow. "Just like that you're going to forgive me, even after I made everything a living hell?"

"Yes." Brittany said with a little nod.

"Why?" Santana asked, because she never expected to be forgiven so easily.

"Because I can tell you're really sorry. I could see that you were hurting just like I was. Something was bothering you. I thought it was me, but if it wasn't me, it was something else really serious." Brittany said and she saw Santana's face contort with panic, as it did when she asked her about it at dinner, so she quickly added, "You don't have to tell me what it is if it's too hard to talk about. I don't need to know the details as long as we never have to go through that again. I missed my best friend so much and I want you back."

For the first time in weeks, Santana finally felt her heart swell, instead of ache. "I missed you too, Britt. I missed you a lot."

Brittany just smiled and hugged her again.

As Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany, she felt her whole body start to tingle. She pushed the urge to flee away, because while she didn't want to accept that she liked it, and that she liked Brittany more than she should, she had to admit that being with Brittany made her feel better.

They held each other for a little while before they pulled back from the embrace. It was late and they were both exhausted from such an emotional day.

"Are you-" Santana started to say at the same time that Brittany said, "Santana-"

They both chuckled shyly. "You first." Brittany said.

"Are you tired?"

Brittany sighed. "Yeah. I'm so tired." She hadn't slept well in weeks.

"Then I should probably let you get some sleep. I'm tired too." Santana said. "We can talk more tomorrow."

There was an awkward pause, because as tired as they were, they weren't ready to part ways.

"Um…you could sleep in here." Brittany offered, and Santana felt a spark of panic fill her. "I mean you don't have to." Brittany said when Santana didn't say anything. "I just thought that maybe you-"

"No, it's okay. I can sleep in here." Santana said cutting her off. She knew that Brittany liked to have company after a nightmare, and while her feelings about Brittany still terrified her, she was determined to try to push them away and be her friend.

"Okay." Brittany said with a happy smile and laid down, pulling the blankets up around her.

Santana shuffled so she could get under the blankets, and she laid down beside Brittany. She felt stiff, but then Brittany rolled over onto her side, and scooted closer to her before she slid her hand down her arm and into her own hand.

"Night, San." Brittany mumbled. "I'm glad you're here."

Santana felt something inside her click and she finally relaxed. She was right where she needed _and_ wanted to be. "Me too Britt. Night." She said and lightly squeezed Brittany's hand.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : A fairly quick update and things are on the mend for our girls! I told y'all I wouldn't leave you hanging for too long. I hope everyone liked the chapter, and if you find a moment, please leave a review with your thoughts. I love seeing your feedback :-)

Through the reviews from last chapter and PMs, I had a lot of people say that they are still into reading Brittana fics, which makes me so happy to see that there is still interest in them. And for those of you who may be reading and are in the Clexa fandom as well, I've seen some of the posts, and while I didn't watch the show, I just wanted to say that I'm very sorry to see what happened. You all deserved better. My heart goes out to you.

To my beta **naynay1963** , thank you so much for being my beta and friend. You're the best.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The next morning, Maribel went to Brittany's room to wake her up for her ten-week ultrasound appointment. When she approached the door, she noticed that it was open, which was odd, because ever since Brittany started sleeping in her own room, she always kept the door closed at night. She tentatively poked her head in the door, and she couldn't help the smile on her face when she saw that Santana was sleeping beside her.

"I guess they worked it out." She whispered to herself and went into the room.

She looked at both girls laying on their sides facing each other and for the first time in two weeks they actually looked as if they were relaxed and sleeping soundly. She hated to disturb them.

"Brittany. Santana. It's time to get up." She said in a soothing voice. Neither one stirred, so she tried again a little louder. "Girls, come on. It's time to get up."

Santana was the only one to wake up, lifting her head to look at her mother. "Huh? What time is it?" She mumbled.

"It's around nine-thirty. Brittany has her appointment at noon. I'm going to make breakfast, so you two get ready."

She had forgotten that Brittany had an appointment. "Okay." Santana said and when her mother left the room, she flopped her head back down onto the pillow.

She was still tired and not ready to get out of bed. She glanced over to Brittany intending to wake her up, but when she saw her face, she thought she looked absolutely adorable as she slept. She had never paid that much attention to it before, but she really was beautiful. She felt torn, because part of her just wanted to watch her sleep for a few more minutes and the other panicked part screamed, _"That's gay!"_ and she felt an urge to flee. She didn't do either though. She pushed away both urges and reached over, gently shaking Brittany.

"Britt, you have to wake up." She said shaking her until her eyes fluttered open.

Brittany felt confused when she woke up and she saw Santana lying beside her, but then the memories from the night before came back and she smiled.

"Hey." She said with a yawn. She was so happy to see that Santana hadn't left in the middle of the night.

"Hey Britt." Santana said returning the smile. "It's time to get up for your appointment."

"Are you coming?" Brittany asked hesitantly. Santana had been to all of her appointments, but after everything, she wasn't sure if she still wanted to go.

"Yeah, I'm going…as long as you still want me to. I know I've been awful the past few weeks, and I'm so, so sorry. I'll understand if you don't want me to."

"Of course I want you to come." Brittany said taking her hand. "San, you're my best friend. I always want you around…you have no idea how much I missed you."

But Santana did know, because even though she had been so confused and mostly scared over her feelings for her, she knew that she had missed her just as much. "I missed you too, Britt. I'm sorry." She said and pulled Brittany in for a hug.

"It's okay, San. It's over now." Brittany said rubbing her hand up and down Santana's back.

Santana felt her cheeks heat up from so much contact with Brittany, but she didn't feel the alarm that she had become accustomed to in the past few weeks. It felt good to hug her.

The hugged for a few more minutes, and when they parted, Brittany put her hands on her belly that was just starting to stick out. She still didn't look pregnant, but for her it was a big change. "I get to hear the baby's heart beat today."

"I remember." Santana said with a little smile.

They smiled at each other for a few seconds, but their moment was broken when Maribel yelled up to them from downstairs. "Girls, I don't hear any movement! Get your teenaged butts out of that bed or I'm coming up to get you!"

Santana turned to look at the door and yelled back. "Okay, we're getting up!"

"Good. Breakfast will be ready soon." Maribel called.

Santana and Brittany just looked at each other and they started to laugh.

"We better go. If she doesn't hear us moving soon, she'll come up here and literally drag us out of bed." Santana said.

Brittany chuckled again. "Are you speaking from experience?"

"You have no idea. She may seem nice, but she can be scary."

"I think she's a great mom, scary and all."

Santana chuckled. "She is."

"So do you wanna shower first?"

"I'll just shower in Mom's bathroom."

"Okay." Brittany said flipping the blankets off her and getting out of bed. She was eager to go to her appointment.

Santana followed her out of the room and they went their separate ways until they were finished with their showers and they met in the hallway, clad in nothing but towels on their way back to their bedrooms.

"Hey." Brittany said, smiling at Santana as she crossed the hallway to her room.

"H-hey." Santana stuttered. She felt her cheeks heat up, and she didn't even know why. She had seen Brittany in a bikini before and it showed a lot more of her body than the long towel she was wearing.

Santana went into her room, closing the door behind her and she leaned up against it, putting her hand on her forehead. _"Get your shit together Santana. It was just a towel."_ She thought shaking her head. _"You aren't some creepy-horny seventeen year old boy!"_

As Santana got ready, she couldn't get Brittany out of her head. So many things floated through her thoughts…her smile, her caring nature, how cute she looked when she slept, how just a glimpse of her in a towel flustered her…Just everything about her intrigued her in some way. Santana sighed as she sat down on her bed after she was dressed and she looked down at the floor. It didn't matter how hard she tried to push those feelings away, she knew that she was losing the battle with herself.

" _Fuck, I'm so…fucked."_ She thought, but before she could do anything else, there was a little knock on her door.

"San? Are you ready?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah." Santana said standing up to go over to the door to open it.

"Wow, you look amazing." Brittany said as she looked at Santana.

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle. "I think we need to get your eyes checked. I'm just wearing shorts and a tank top."

"But I still think you still look amazing." Brittany said with a shy smile and what Santana thought was a hint of a blush.

Santana raised a curious eyebrow because she wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she just thought that her feelings for Brittany were causing her to overthink things and see things that weren't there, so she shook it off as just a genuine compliment from Brittany.

"Thanks. I think you look great too." She said honestly. Brittany was dressed similarly to her, but it didn't matter what she was wearing, she always thought Brittany looked great.

"Thanks, San." Brittany said.

They got caught up in another moment where they just smiled at each other, but then when Santana realized it, she looked away. "Um, we should go eat."

Brittany giggled. "I'm starving."

"So no morning sickness today?" Santana asked as they made their way downstairs.

"No." Brittany said shaking her head. "It's so random. Most days I feel fine, just a little queasy if anything, but sometimes it just pops up and I feel really nauseous. Thankfully, I've only thrown up a few times. It isn't always in the morning either. They should really think about renaming it." Brittany said seriously and Santana couldn't help but to chuckle at her expression.

"I'm sure that isn't high on the list of things to do in the world of obstetrics."

"I guess, but it's misleading." Brittany said as they walked into the kitchen/dining room.

"What's misleading?" Maribel asked looking up from her magazine.

"Morning sickness." Brittany said as she sat down in a seat and started to pile food onto her plate to appease her growing appetite. "It isn't always in the morning."

Maribel laughed and set down the magazine. "Oh you don't have to tell me. For six weeks I was sick with Santana from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed. I had to call out of work a few times because I couldn't stand to get out of bed. It was awful, but once it went away, I felt fine. The rest of my pregnancy, except for the last two weeks, was great."

"Well I'll be happy when it goes way." Brittany said.

"I'm sure it will soon." Maribel said putting food on her plate as well. "So you two will need to take Santana's car. I took a few hours off for the appointment, so I'm going to go into work afterwards."

"Okay." Santana and Brittany said at the same time. "Jinx! You owe me a Coke!" Brittany cheered pointing to Santana.

"Ugh, you can't even have Coke right now!" Santana grumbled over losing the jinx, but she was smiling.

"I'll take a milkshake instead." Brittany said with a little smirk.

"You just want ice cream."

"Duh." Brittany deadpanned. "I'm pregnant. I always want ice cream."

"Okay, we'll go get a milkshake after your appointment. My treat, _obviously_."

"Yes!" Brittany cheered again and pumped her fist.

Maribel just watched the two girls chatter back and forth, and she smiled. She was so happy that things were right with them again.

-()-()-()-()-

"It's cold." Brittany shivered as her ob/gyn put gel on her lower abdomen.

"I know." Dr. Kay said. "Trust me. I have four kids and I dreaded having it put on me every time too. So are you ready to see your baby again and hear the heart beat?"

"Yes." Brittany said with a little smile and then turned to Santana and Maribel who were standing beside her. "This is it!" She chirped in excitement.

"Yep." Santana said with a smile. She was excited too.

"Okay, here it goes." Dr. Kay said and took the wand and placed it on Brittany's lower stomach. Brittany eagerly watched the screen as the doctor moved the wand around. When she found the baby, she stopped moving. "There's your little one."

Brittany gasped when she saw it. She stared at the screen for a long while before she turned to look at Santana. "It doesn't look like a jelly bean anymore. It's starting to look like a person!"

"Yeah, it's great." Santana said smiling down at Brittany. "It's a little Brittany."

Brittany's smile widened and she slipped her hand into Santana's, squeezing it lightly. She turned her head to look at the screen again and just admired the baby.

"It looks like your measuring about ten weeks and four days, so you're right on track." Dr. Kay said. "Are you ready to hear the heart beat?"

"Yes." Brittany said nodding, but not taking her eyes away from the screen. A few moments later, she heard a fast swishing sound, almost like a muffled horse gallop. She felt her heart burst in her chest and she tightened her hold on Santana's hand.

"There it is." Dr. Kay said with a smile.

Tears welled in Brittany's eyes as she watched the monitor and listened to the heartbeat. "It sounds so b-beautiful…and strong." She said after a while. She now had tears running down each cheek.

"It's around one hundred and sixty-four beats per minute, which is great. That's where we want it to be." Dr. Kay said.

Brittany just nodded and looked up at Santana, who also had tears in her eyes as she watched and listened to the monitor. Santana looked down at Brittany and she felt her heart swell when their eyes met. Santana couldn't help herself and she pulled Brittany into a tight hug.

"That's your baby Britt." Santana said awestruck.

Brittany was too choked up to say anything, so she just nodded and buried her nose into the crook of Santana's neck as she cried.

When Brittany's appointment was over, the doctor left the room, leaving them alone to gather their things.

"How're you feeling honey?" Maribel asked, but she was sure she had an idea. She cried the first time she heard Santana's heart beat as well.

"I feel great, but a little scared too." Brittany said putting her hands over her now clean and covered stomach. "I really feel like there's a baby in there. Before I knew it was there, but now that I heard the heart beat and it's starting to look like a person…"

"It feels _more_ real." Maribel finished for her.

Brittany nodded. "Yeah."

"You're going to be a mom, Britt." Santana practically cooed, still feeling emotional.

"I just hope I don't mess things up." Brittany said looking down at her stomach again. She was worried about what kind of mother she was going to be and how she was going to support a baby at such a young age.

"You have us to help you." Santana said and took Brittany's hand.

"She's right." Maribel said assuring her. "You're a part of our family now, and this family sticks together."

Brittany glanced at both of them and she started crying again. "Thank you." She said hugging both of them around their necks.

When they finally parted, Santana wiped the tears away from Brittany's checks. "Let's go get ice cream."

Brittany chuckled. "Yes, but can we stop by the store too? I want to get a picture frame for this." Brittany said picking up the black and white picture of the baby that the doctor printed for her.

"Sure." Santana said.

"Oh! Speaking of pictures…" Maribel said and opened her phone. "I took a few earlier. I thought you might like them." She said handing Brittany her phone so she could look at them.

"You did? I don't remember you taking any pictures." Brittany said.

"I don't either." Santana said a little confused. She had been standing beside her mother the whole time.

"You two were a little enamored with the monitor…and each other. I doubt you would have noticed anything else even if it jumped out in front of you." Maribel said with a little chuckle.

Santana and Brittany just looked at each other, shrugged, and then looked down at the phone. They slid through the pictures…there was one of Brittany just looking at the baby on the monitor, then one of both Santana and Brittany holding hands as they looked at the monitor, one of Brittany looking at the monitor crying, and then one of them hugging, but with the monitor still in the back ground, and then there was a few more of Brittany by herself.

"I love these." Brittany said feeling tears prick her eyes again. "I wanna frame some of these too."

"I'll text them to you and you can get them printed out."

"Thank you." Brittany said.

"Well we better get out of here. They're going to want the room, and I have to get to work. You girls have fun, and I'll see you at home later, okay?" Maribel said and ushered them out of the exam room and towards the parking lot.

"Okay." Santana and Brittany said at the same time, and as before, Brittany beat her to the jinx. "You owe me another milkshake!" Brittany cried.

"Ugh!" Santana growled. She never won when it came to jinx with Brittany.

"Um, maybe not another milkshake. Too much sugar for the baby." Maribel said. "How about Santana owes you lunch instead."

"I'm cool with that." Brittany said with a victorious smirk, especially since she felt as if she could eat again.

"Mama!" Santana cried in protest.

"What? You lost, pay up." Maribel said and then high fived Brittany.

"I'm not sure I like it when you two take the same side."

"I think you'll live." Maribel said. "Okay this is where I part. Be safe." She said and hugged them again.

"We will." They said, and again, Brittany won the jinx.

"Movie tickets!" Brittany cheered.

Santana rolled her eyes, but she was far from upset. "At the rate I'm going today, I might as well just give you my wallet."

-()-()-()-()-

"These two are my favorite." Brittany said holding up the pictures with her and Santana holding hands and the one with them hugging.

Santana was driving, but she glanced over to see which ones Brittany was talking about, because they had just printed all the pictures that Maribel had taken. "Mine too."

"I can't wait to get home and put them in their frames."

"We can go now if you want." Santana said.

"Nu-huh. You aren't getting out of taking me to the movies and buying me a drink _and_ popcorn." Brittany said in a teasing tone. "I won fair and square."

Santana shook her head, but she was smiling. "You're right."

When they arrived at the theater, Santana paid for their tickets and then she bought a large popcorn and a large drink that she and Brittany were going to share. She had planned to buy two smaller drinks, but Brittany insisted that buying two was a waste and that they could share. They went into the theater that their movie was showing and took a seat near the back of the room as the previews started.

"It's nice going out with you to see a movie instead of just watching it at home." Brittany whispered as she reached over to take a handful of popcorn out of the bucket in Santana's lap. "I like it."

"Me too." Santana said, smiling at her.

Brittany smiled back at her and then turned her attention to the screen.

Brittany's words rolled around in Santana's head and the words "going out with you" struck a chord with her, and all of a sudden, she felt as if she was on a date with Brittany. In her head, she knew that that was not what Brittany meant when she said that. She knew that this was not a date, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it felt like one. They had ice cream, went shopping, had a late lunch/early dinner at the restaurant of Brittany's choosing, and now they were at a movie where Santana paid for everything. The matter was even further pressed upon her when Brittany moved the drink from the cup holder that was in-between them, to the one on her other side, and then lifted the armrest that was between them so she could lean into Santana's side.

Santana took a few deep breaths to try to calm the conflicted emotions swirling around inside her as she tightly gripped the chair with her hand that wasn't holding the bucket of popcorn.

Brittany turned her head to look at Santana, and if she had moved just a few inches closer, her nose would have touched Santana's cheek. "Are you okay?" She whispered when she noticed her deep breaths and a subtle little shudder.

"Y-yeah. It's just cold in here." Santana lied. She was far from cold. She was practically burning up.

"Movie theaters are always cold." Brittany said shifting away for a moment and then putting her arm around Santana and pulling her into her. "I'll warm you up."

Santana felt her heart rate increase even more, because it felt so good to be that close to Brittany, but her gay panic was telling her to pull away. She almost did until Brittany started to run her hand lightly up and down her bare arm as she giggled at something from the preview, her eyes squinting, and her nose wrinkling as she laughed.

" _God, she's just so cute."_ Santana thought.

"San we need to see this movie when it comes out." Brittany said leaning closer to her and flashing her hopeful look.

With that, Santana was quickly losing her will to fight or pull away. It felt too good to cuddle up to Brittany. She had no idea what movie Brittany was even talking about because she had not been paying attention to what was going on, on the screen, but she nodded in agreement.

"Sure, if you want to." She said and she was so thankful that it was dark in the theater because she was sure that a deep blush could be seen on her cheeks.

Brittany smiled and nodded. She picked up piece of popcorn and held it up to Santana's lips. Santana raised a curios eyebrow, but opened her mouth anyways and Brittany playful popped it into her mouth as she winked before she ate a piece of popcorn herself and turned her attention back to the screen.

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle at Brittany's silliness. By the time the previews were over, she was starting to calm down, and by the end of the movie, she and Brittany were practically melted into each other's side.

As they drove home, Brittany chattered away, but Santana was lost in thought. She had enjoyed her day with Brittany, and even though the thought that it felt like a date scared her, it felt too good to not to want to do it again. Spending time with Brittany was nice, and it made her feel good. Well more than good. Just being with Brittany made everything seem better.

Her thoughts were interrupted though when they walked into the house and she felt Brittany take her hand. "San are you okay?" She asked and when Santana turned to look at her, she saw that she looked concerned, bordering on scared.

"Yeah. Why?" She said lightly, trying to hide the fact that her thoughts were all over the place.

"Because I've been talking for almost ten minutes straight and you've barely said anything, and when you do, I can tell that you aren't here." She said and then looked down. "Are you…are you pulling away from me again?"

"No." Santana said shaking her head and she led them both into the living room to sit on the couch. She was still terrified of what her feelings for Brittany meant, but she couldn't go through that again. The past two weeks were horrible. She was just going to deal with her feelings internally, and not let it affect her friendship with Brittany. She lightly squeezed Brittany's hand and smiled. "I'm sorry I spaced out, I'm just tired…and full. We ate that whole thing of popcorn." She lied, and thankfully, it worked, because Brittany's nervous face disappeared and was replaced with an amused giggle.

"We did and there is no shame in our game. It was good popcorn." Brittany said.

Santana giggled. "Yeah it was."

"So we're okay?" Brittany asked again just to make sure.

"Yeah, we're fine." Santana said with a nod.

Brittany let out a little sigh. "Good." She said pulling Santana into a hug.

Santana wrapped her arms around her and rested her chin on her shoulder as Brittany continued talking.

"Thank you for a perfect day." Brittany said. "First for being there with me to hear the baby's heartbeat, and then just hanging out with me all day…I loved it."

"I did too." Santana whispered closing her eyes and tightening her hold on Brittany.

They hugged for another few moments and when they pulled back from the embrace, they caught each other's eyes and it seemed to lock them in place. They just stared at each other, and Santana swallowed hard because she had never had anyone look at her the way that Brittany was looking at her now. As if she was the most perfect thing in the whole world, and she felt an overwhelming sensation to kiss her. Before she knew what she was doing and could overthink and stop it, she was leaning forward. Unfortunately, before anything could happen between them, they were broken out of the moment by the sound of Maribel calling their names from upstairs, and then a few seconds later, Santana's cell phone rang.

When Santana realized what she had almost done, she jerked away from Brittany. She looked down and quickly grabbed her purse. Her heart was racing. "Yeah, Mama, it's us." She called answering her mother as she fumbled inside her purse until she found her phone. It was Marcus. She slid her finger across the screen to answer the call.

"H-hey." She said, putting her hand on her forehead to help calm herself.

" _Santana, I'm coming home…"_

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Another chapter complete! Thanks for reading. I know it ended with a cliffhanger, but just trust me ;-) If you get a chance, please send a quick review to let me know what you think of the story. I say it all the time, but I really do love seeing all of your thoughts. It definitely pushes me forward in my writing.

Speaking of my writing, for those of you that have been reading/following **'Going to the Movies'** , I have finally written another chapter. It is with my beta, so as soon as we can get it edited, I will post it for your reading pleasure. If you haven't read it, and have time, check it out. It's another Brittana high school fic, but it's a huge fluff ball.

As always, my beta **naynay1963** is the best and deserves all the thanks for her help.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"What? You're coming home?" Santana asked quite surprised to hear that he was coming home a few weeks early. She dared a glance at Brittany and she was just staring at the floor with one of her hands balled into a fist. "When?"

" _Tomorrow."_ Marcus said. _"Mom and I get in around two o'clock."_

Santana noticed that something sounded off with him, but before she could ask him about it; Brittany stood up from the couch, picked up the bag with the picture frames that she brought in from the car, and left the room quickly. Santana sighed, because she was sure that she was upset.

"Are you okay? Did something happen to cause you guys to come back so suddenly?"

" _No, I'm not okay!"_ Marcus huffed and he sniffled. _"Mom got a job down here, so we're coming home to pack our stuff, and then we're moving to Florida."_

"What?" Santana said surprised. That was the last thing that she expected him to say. "You're moving?"

" _It fucking sucks."_ Marcus grumbled into the phone, and Santana knew he was upset, because he rarely cursed. _"It's my senior year! I don't want to move."_

Santana sighed; things around her were taking all kinds of unexpected turns and it was making her dizzy. First Brittany and now Marcus. "I know; it does suck." She said in a soft voice.

She talked to Marcus for a little while longer trying to make him feel better, and when she got off the phone with him, she rested her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands so she could think. It didn't take her long to realize that she was not as upset about him moving as she thought she should be.

She was sad that he was moving. She really was. She didn't want him to move. He had been one of her best friends for almost ten years, and that friendship meant something to her, but that being said, she wasn't as devastated about her boyfriend moving away from her, as he was to be moving away from her. She would never tell him that though, because she didn't want to hurt him, but her heart wasn't breaking, and she knew that was because she wasn't in love with him. She cared deeply for him. He was a great guy, one of the best there was, but the last few weeks have shown her that it didn't matter how much time she gave their relationship, she wasn't in love with him, and probably would never be. She didn't get flushed or feel anything special when he smiled at her, or touched or kissed her. There really wasn't anything he did that made her feel that. No one had made her feel that way…except Brittany. Brittany made her feel everything without even trying.

She didn't want to be gay. She didn't want to have feelings for Brittany, but she knew the more she tried to make herself believe that those feelings didn't exist, the bigger they felt and the harder it was to keep herself locked up. Just one look from Brittany and she actually tried to kiss her. She wanted to kiss her so badly, but she knew she was going to have to do better to keep that from happening again. She didn't want Brittany to freak out on her. She already seemed mad at her.

"I'm so _fucked_." Santana breathed out in a low voice as she stood up.

She was going to go see Brittany and deny, deny, deny that she tried to kiss her. She was going to make up something to explain it. Maybe that she saw something on her face and she was trying to get a closer look. It was a thin excuse, but maybe it would work. She thought about just going to her room and avoiding her for the night, but Santana knew herself, and that had the potential to snowball. She didn't want them to be at odds with each other again, so she was going to lie through her teeth to try to fix it.

When she went upstairs, she saw that Brittany's door was cracked open, but instead of going there first, she popped her head into the office to see Maribel.

"Hey Mama." She said leaning against the doorframe.

Maribel looked up from the computer and smiled at her. "Hi Mija. So Brittany tells me that you two had a great day together. I'm glad to see that everything is right with you two again."

"Yeah." Santana said with a nervous chuckle.

"It's too bad her morning sickness is acting up. She said she was feeling a little queasy, so I sent her to lay down. You two take it easy tonight. Don't stay up too late."

Santana quirked her eyebrow. "She seemed fine just a few minutes ago."

Maribel chuckled. "Well morning sickness has a way of just creeping up on you. You'll understand one day."

"Okay." Santana said, and she started to feel relieved. Maybe Brittany wasn't mad at her. Maybe she didn't notice that she tried to kiss her and she really was feeling ill. "I'm going to check on her."

"Okay Mija. Come give me a hug first." Maribel said lifting her arms.

Santana playfully rolled her eyes, but she went over to her mother and hugged her. Maribel kissed her on the cheek before she said, "Now go on and keep Brittany company. I have a few things to do in here and then I'm off to bed. I have to work early in the morning."

"Okay. Night Mama."

"Night Mija."

Santana left the office and tentatively made her way down the hallway to Brittany's room. She hoped that Brittany wasn't mad at her. She took a few deep breaths to try to calm her nerves before she knocked on the door and waited for Brittany to say, "Come in."

Santana went into the room, and Brittany lifted her head to see who it was. Santana wasn't sure if the down look on Brittany's face was sadness or sickness. "Hey, Britt. How're you feeling?" She asked and she hoped that Brittany didn't freak out on her.

"I'm okay." She said tightening her hold onto Waddles the Duck, and lying her head on the pillow again. "I just needed to lay down for a few minutes."

"Can I bring you anything?"

"No thanks." Brittany said flatly.

"Okay…" Santana said pausing. She wasn't sure what to do next. "Um… do you want some company or do you just want to go to bed."

Brittany sighed, but it was so slight that Santana couldn't hear it from where she standing across the room. She really wasn't feeling sick. That was an excuse. She was sad, because for a brief moment she thought Santana was going to kiss her, but then Marcus called and she immediately took the call. She thought about it and the only thing she could reasonably come up with was that she had overplayed Santana's slight movement forward in her head, and she was mistaken. She never was going to kiss her. Now Marcus was coming home, and with him being around, she felt as if there was no way she could compete with him. He was her boyfriend and they had a long history together. She was just some homeless pregnant girl that came into Santana's life recently, and as much as she had hoped that Santana's affection towards her were more than friendly, she wasn't sure if they were, so she was starting to resign herself to just being her friend. If that was all she could have, then she was going to take it, and hold on with everything she had.

"Can we watch TV in your room until we fall asleep?" Brittany asked, because if tonight was going to be her last night with Santana without having to worry about her boyfriend being around all the time, then she was going to take advantage of it. "We can put the pictures in their frames too."

"Sure." Santana said flashing Brittany a warm smile and she breathed out a sigh of relief because Brittany didn't mention the almost-kiss and she didn't seem mad at her. _"She just isn't feeling well."_ She thought.

Brittany returned the smile and got out of bed. She followed Santana into her room with the bag of pictures and frames, and slid onto her side of the bed.

Santana picked up her pajamas off the foot of the bed. "I'll be right back. I need to wash off my makeup." She said.

"Okay." Brittany said with a smile.

Santana went to the bathroom, and when she came back a couple of minutes later, Brittany had turned on the TV and had the picture frames spread out over the bed. She saw Brittany looking down at the pictures. "What are we watching?"

"I don't even know." Brittany said chuckling and looking up at her. "I wasn't paying attention."

"It's not important. It's just back ground noise anyways." Santana said, sitting in her place on the bed. She picked up a small silver frame and ran her fingers over the words 'Precious Baby' etched into the metal in a cursive script. "I'm sure your baby is going to be the cutest baby in the whole world."

"I hope so…This probably sounds bad, but I hope it looks like me. I don't want it to look like him. I really don't want a reminder of what his face looks like every day. I just want to forget he exists." She said expressing a fear and notion that she hadn't shared before.

Santana gave Brittany a flat smile and took her hand. "That's not bad at all. I'd feel the same way."

"I'm still going to love it either way." Brittany added. "I just really hope it looks like me…and it's healthy. That's the most important thing really."

Santana lightly squeezed her hand. "It will be."

Brittany smiled and nodded because she appreciated Santana's optimism, but even though Dr. Kay had said that everything with the baby _looked_ okay, until she had the baby in her arms and everything _was_ okay, she would still worry.

"Do you wanna put the baby's picture in its frame?" Brittany asked changing the subject and handing Santana the sonogram picture.

"Sure." Santana said with a little chuckle.

"Now we just gotta pick out which frame to put the rest of these pictures in." Brittany said.

When they were at the store, they had picked frames that they thought were cute, but they hadn't thought about which pictures to put in each frame.

"I think this one should go in the cute white one with flowers." Santana said pointing to the picture of Brittany looking at the monitor with tears of joy in her eyes. "You can really see how happy you are in the picture."

"Good idea." Brittany chirped. "I think we should put the two with us in this double frame. That way Little Bit will know how happy you were too."

Santana smiled and she felt her heart swell remembering the moment that they hugged each other in the exam room. She was so happy to share that moment with Brittany, because she already loved her child. "They're still my favorite."

"Mine too." Brittany said. She felt so close to Santana in that moment, and she was so happy that Maribel had taken those pictures of them.

"So, I'm probably going to be busy the next couple of days with Marcus. You're welcome to come with me though. It would be good for you to get out of the house." Santana said as she was undoing the back of the silver frame.

Brittany felt her stomach drop, because she really didn't want to hang out with Marcus. Logically, she knew she had no reason to hate him. She knew he was a nice guy, but she was just so envious that he was dating Santana, and she wasn't, that it made her dislike his presence in general. Listening to them talk on the phone at night was torture enough, but actually watching them touch, and kiss, and whatever else would hurt even more. "Well if you don't think I'll be in the way. You haven't seen him in a while and I'm sure you two will want some alone time together." She said as an excuse to get out of hanging with him. It felt bitter in her mouth to say that, but it was something that 'just-a-friend' would say, so Brittany played the game.

Santana shifted uncomfortably because she hadn't thought about that. In the past few weeks, the only person she had thought about doing anything physical or affectionate with was Brittany, but she was sure that Marcus would want some time alone with her. "I'll have plenty of time with him while I'm helping him pack, but we're going to be hanging out with some friends while he's here too, and it would be a good time for you to meet them."

"Pack? While he's here?" Brittany said echoing Santana's words. "Is he leaving again?"

Santana realized that Brittany left before Marcus told her he was moving, so she didn't know. "Yeah." She sighed. "His mom got a job in Florida because she wanted to be closer to her mom and sister, so they're coming home to pack up everything and then they're driving to Florida on Sunday."

Brittany felt a spark of happiness course though her, and she smiled, but then she quickly bit her lip because she didn't want to seem happy about him moving away. "Oh man, that sucks." She said with faux concern. "What are you guys going to do?"

Santana looked at the picture of the baby now in its frame and she shrugged. "We haven't talked about it, but I'm guessing we're going to break up. I don't think trying to stay together will work. Eventually it would fall apart, so we might as well end it now while we're on good terms. That way we can still be friends."

She actually believed that breaking up was for the best for multiple reasons, but Marcus moving gave her an excuse that made breaking up less complicated.

At hearing that, Brittany really had to control herself because she had the urge to get up and start dancing, though she was sure that would look insensitive. "Oh, San. I'm sorry." She said, biting back a smile. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Santana said reaching for another frame and the coordinating picture, but then she paused. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell him or anyone else? It would really hurt him if he found out, and I don't want to hurt him."

"Of course. I promise." Brittany said and hooked her pinky around Santana's.

Santana sighed. "Well I'm sad that he's moving. I've known him practically my whole life, and we've been there for each other for a lot of things. He's such a great guy, but…"

"But?"

Santana sighed again. "I don't love him." She said, and again Brittany had to contain herself, because she really did almost jump up that time. "I mean I love him as a friend, but I'm not _in love_ with him. I know he loves me even though he hasn't said it. He's waiting for me to say it first, but I've never been able to do it. When I tell someone that I love them for the first time, I want it to mean something, you know?"

Knowing that Santana had never told Marcus or anyone else that she loved them filled Brittany with so much hope and confidence. "I'm sure you'll find that person someday. It might be someone you already know." She said, purposely using gender-neutral terms, but it went past Santana.

"I doubt it. I've dated a lot of guys at school, and Marcus was the best. He's smart, thoughtful, good looking, and what girls wants in a guy. It'll be hard to find a guy to top him." She said picking up another frame to distract her mind.

Brittany wanted so badly to tell Santana that maybe a guy wasn't what she wanted. Maybe she wanted a girl like her that was already head over heels in love with her, but she bit that back too, because there was a chance that it would upset Santana, and she was afraid that she would pull away from her again, so for now she was going to keep that thought to herself.

"You never know. Someone might surprise you."

"We'll see." Santana said and then changed the subject. "So anyways, Puck's having a party this Saturday. Everyone will be drinking though, but we'll make sure that there's something non-alcoholic for you and Little Bit."

Brittany smiled because she liked Santana using the new nickname that she had given the baby. "Awesome! A party would be fun." She couldn't remember the last party she had been too.

"Don't get too excited. Puck's parties aren't that great, they're okay at best."

Brittany chuckled. "You're not painting a great picture here."

"I mean they aren't terrible, they just aren't good. You'll see what I mean when we get there."

-()-()-()-()-

When they showed up to Puck's party four days later, it was already in full swing. As they got out of Santana's car, Brittany felt a wave of nervousness flow through her. She was excited to go to a party, but she was afraid that it would be like with the kids at her old school and they would quickly shun her. The only thing keeping her grounded was that she was with Santana, and that she already met a few people that were going to be there.

Once she knew that Marcus wasn't going to be her competition anymore, she had come to like him. Santana had been right about him being a good guy. Quinn and Mike were going to be there too, along with a few of the other guys and girls from the football team and Cheerios that she had met over the past couple of days. She didn't really know them, but at least she would recognize them.

Marcus took Santana's hand as they walked up to the house, and Brittany frowned as she followed behind them. She knew that this was their last night together and then they were going to be officially broken up, but it still stung to see them together, holding hands.

Santana looked behind her to check on Brittany and she immediately noticed the frown. "You okay, Britt?"

"Oh…yeah." Brittany said smiling when she realized that she was caught. "I'm just nervous." She said, only half lying.

"You'll be okay." Santana said flashing her an encouraging smile. "Everyone that's met you really liked you."

"Okay." Brittany said nodding.

They went inside and Marcus left them to get their drinks. The room was loud with music and people were either talking or dancing on the makeshift dance floor in the living room.

Brittany leaned into Santana, resting her hand on her lower back. "I wanna dance. Come with me?"

"Are you sure that's okay…you know with the baby?" Brittany's injuries from her accident had healed, but Santana still worried about her.

Brittany smiled because she loved that Santana was always concerned about her and the baby. "I think it will be okay. The doctor said I had to make sure to get in a little exercise."

Santana sighed because she remembered the doctor saying that, but she was still concerned because she was sure that dancing at a raging high school party with a ton of drunk people was not what the doctor had in mind when she recommended exercise.

"You promise not to overdo it and to make sure that you stay hydrated?"

Brittany smiled widely and nodded as she hooked her pinky with Santana's. "I promise."

"And you promise to tell me if you need to rest?"

Brittany laughed and pulled Santana into a hug. "I promise to be good, and to tell you if I need anything."

"You better." Santana said seriously.

"I love that you worry about us." Brittany cooed and pulled back a bit so she could see Santana's face. "But right now, I wanna dance with you."

She looked so cute as she gave her a hopeful stare. Santana found her resolve crumbling and she couldn't resist giving her something she really wanted. "Okay, let's go dance… _carefully_." She said and Brittany let out an excited squeal.

"Come on!" She said pulling out of the embrace and taking Santana's hand as she led her to the dance floor.

Brittany easily fell into the rhythm of the music, but Santana was a little stiff as she moved because she was too busy watching Brittany. It was almost as if she was waiting for something bad to happen. A few minutes had passed and she was still on edge, so Brittany grabbed her by the hand and twirled her, bringing Santana's back into her front.

"Relax San; I'm not going to break." She whispered into Santana's ear.

Santana almost shuddered from the intimate contact. "I'm sorry." She said too nervous to look at her, because she was afraid that looking into her eyes would overwhelm her, and she might do something stupid again, like try to kiss her.

"It's okay. Just dance with me." Brittany cooed, the tip of her nose grazing the shell of Santana's ear as she put her hands on Santana's hips, leading her to move with her.

Santana's whole body felt flush from being so close to Brittany. She liked feeling her body move against her own. For a moment, she thought about pulling away because it was becoming too much, but she couldn't. It felt too good. It felt right and it didn't take long for her to push aside her reservations, and her fear of overexerting Brittany and the baby, and she started to loosen up. By the time the next song started, they were moving together so seamlessly it was almost as if they were one.

They danced together for several more songs before Brittany suggested they get a drink. Santana didn't want it to end, but she knew that Brittany needed to take it easy, so she agreed and hooked her pinky around Brittany's and led her away from the dance floor. As they approached the kitchen, they saw Marcus standing off to the side holding three cups and talking to Mike.

"Hey, are those for us?" Santana asked pointing to the cups as they walked up to them.

"Yeah, sorry. I got a little sidetracked, but I saw you two dancing so I figured I'd hang out while you danced."

"It's okay." Santana said and Marcus smiled, leaning in and kissing her on the lips.

It felt weird to Santana to go from being so close to Brittany to feeling Marcus' lips on her. Her body was still buzzing and heated from the way Brittany touched her as they danced, and to change so quickly was such a jarring experience for her that it felt almost as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on her, and she froze in place.

Brittany had to look away, because even though she knew they were breaking up in a matter of hours, she couldn't watch him kiss Santana. It hurt too much, and it irked her.

"You two looked amazing out there." Marcus said after pulling back from the kiss and he handed Santana and Brittany their drinks, rum and coke for Santana, and sprite for Brittany. "Brittany I didn't know you were a dancer. When did you start?"

"Thanks. I've been dancing since I was a kid." Brittany answered with a forced smile. On the inside, she was telling herself to calm down and be nice to him.

"Well you got skills girl. I bet you could give my boy Mike a run for his money." Marcus complimented.

"Maybe." Brittany teased winking at Mike.

Mike laughed. "Brittany when you're done with your drink we should go dance together for a bit."

Brittany smiled and nodded. "Sure, as long as it's okay with Quinn."

"She won't mind." Mike said with a smile.

"Where is Q anyways?" Santana asked.

"Last I saw her, she was lording her position over a bunch of underclassman Cheerios. I left her to it." He said with a chuckle.

Santana rolled her eyes, because she half expected that answer.

"Hey, while they're dancing, we should make our way around the party." Marcus said to Santana. "There's a few people that I want to make sure I see before I leave."

"Umm, sure." Santana said and took several big gulps of her drink. She hadn't planned to drink much, mainly because Brittany couldn't drink at all, and Marcus was limiting himself to no more than two beers because he needed to be able to drive in the morning, but she needed something to take the edge off so she could get through that.

Mingling wasn't appealing to her. She'd rather dance with Brittany again, but since Marcus was leaving early in the morning and she wouldn't see him after they dropped him off at home after the party, she thought it would be best to spend some time with him.

They all chatted for a few more minutes as they had their drinks, but before they separated, Santana grabbed Brittany by the hand and pulled her aside so only she could hear what she was saying. "Are you going to be okay with Mike on your own?"

Brittany smiled and nodded. "I think so."

"Okay, just take it easy for me please." Santana said, because now that she wasn't going to be with her to make sure she was okay, she felt nervous about her being on her own.

Brittany smiled, because she found Santana's concern endearing. "I will." Brittany said lightly squeezing her hand. "Have fun."

"Yeah, spending time with all of Marcus' drunk meathead friends is not my idea of fun." Santana said rolling her eyes.

"You could come with me." Brittany offered playfully, but she really hoped that she took her up on that offer.

"I wish, but I need to spend some time with him. He's one of my best friends, and I don't know when I'm going to see him again."

Brittany sighed and nodded because she could understand that. "Alright."

"I'll see you in a bit." Santana said lightly squeezing her hand.

"See ya." Brittany said squeezing back and then they went their separate ways.

-()-()-()-()-

Brittany and Mike danced together for almost an hour before Quinn came up and asked to take him away. Brittany didn't mind because she need a drink and a few minutes rest anyways. She looked around for Santana as she weaved her way through the crowd of people on her way to the kitchen, but she didn't see her. In fact, she hadn't seen her since she left with Marcus because she had been focused on dancing with Mike. It was different and certainly not better than when she danced with Santana, but she had enjoyed dancing with him because their skill levels were almost the same and it felt good to dance with someone that could keep up with her.

As she walked into the kitchen, she saw three guys she didn't recognize standing around and one of them wolf whistled at her.

"Hey baby, let me get you a drink." He said, and it was obvious he was drunk.

"I'm not your baby and I can get my own drink." Brittany said walking up to the counter that was filled with open liquor and soda bottles and she picked up a plastic cup.

"Aww come on, don't be like that. I'll treat you real good. Now how about you have a drink with me and I'll show you how good I can be." He said coming up from behind her and putting his hand on her hip as his friends cheered.

Brittany immediately slid away from him. "No!" She yelled. "I don't want anything from you and don't touch me again."

The guy's friends started to laugh and tease him. "Josh, I thought you said you could get any girl you wanted."

"Burn Coleman! Too bad you couldn't close, she's hot."

That angered Josh and he turned to Brittany, putting his hands on both of her hips and pinning her to the counter. "Why are you being such a bitch?" He spat. "All I did was offer you a drink and-" He was cut off from his drunken rant when Brittany punched him in the nose, and then kicked him in the balls.

Josh cried out in pain as he doubled over. "Leave me the fuck alone, asshole!" Brittany demanded, shaking her sore hand as she looked up at his shocked friends. She didn't know what was going to happen next, so she left the kitchen before they decided to retaliate.

She looked around the living room for Santana and she still couldn't find her or Marcus. Her adrenalin was pumping and she needed to get away from the chaos that was around her, so she went upstairs, and when she found bathroom, she retreated inside, locking the door behind her. Thankfully, it was quieter. She still had the plastic cup that she was holding before she punched Josh, so she went over to the sink and filled it before drinking the whole thing. She looked down at her throbbing right hand and saw that it was bright red and a little swollen. She ran her hand under the cold water for a few minutes before she sat down on the side of the bathtub.

She took some deep breathes to try to calm herself. She wished that she had her phone with her, but she had left it in the car. She stayed in the bathroom for a few more minutes, but being in there didn't help much. She was still agitated, so she decided to try to find Santana again. As she was opening the bathroom door though, she found her. She saw Marcus and Santana at the other end of the dim hallway going into a bedroom and closing the door behind them.

Brittany felt her heart drop out of her chest, because she could only guess what they were going to be doing in there. She started to feel nauseous, her breathing increased, and the walls were closing in on her. She needed to get out of there, so she ran down the stairs and pushed her way through the mass of drunk partiers towards the front door. She was just about to go out when she saw Mike and Quinn walking in.

"Hey Britt!" Quinn chirped pulling Brittany in to a hug. She was a little tipsy. "Mike was just telling me about you! Come show me your dance moves."

"Yeah, let's go dance again." Mike said pointing to the dance floor.

Brittany was not in the mood to dance, she needed air, but she didn't want to be rude to them. She considered Quinn and Mike friends, and she didn't want to do anything to hurt that friendship. "Um, actually can it wait for a bit? I need to get some air." She said. "You know the baby needs a break." She added, knowing that they wouldn't argue with her if it came to the baby.

"Are you okay?" Quinn and Mike asked at the same time.

Brittany forced a smile on her face and nodded. "Yeah, totally." She lied. "I'm just going to go to the car and get away from the noise for a few minutes."

"Do you want one of us to go with you?" Quinn asked.

"No." Brittany blurted. She needed to be alone. "I mean, I'll be fine, really. You two have fun dancing."

"Okay, if you're sure." Mike said.

"Thanks." Brittany said and then without saying anything else, she left and made her way to the car.

Since she was the designated driver, she had the key to Santana's car in her pocket. She unlocked the door and sat in the driver's seat. Within seconds, she had tears rolling down her face. She was upset about the thing with Josh, but she was even more upset over Santana. She loved Santana so much, and just the mere thought of her having sex or being intimate in any way with anyone else but her hurt so much, but actually seeing them go into a bedroom together…it gutted her. Technically, she knew Marcus was still her boyfriend, and she didn't have any say as to what Santana did with him or anyone else, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She hated it.

She sat in Santana's car for almost thirty minutes before she calmed down enough to stop crying completely. She put the key in the ignition so she could open the window to let in a little air. She looked in the visor mirror and saw that she had mascara tracks running down her face. She reached into the glove compartment, took out a napkin, and wiped her face. She looked a little better, but it was still obvious that she had been crying. She was just about to reach for her purse so she could fix her makeup when Santana ran up to the side of the car.

"Britt, are you okay?" She asked and the concern in her voice was evident. She immediately noticed that Brittany had been crying.

They stared at each other for a few moments, but Brittany couldn't handle looking at her, and she shook her head and looked down.

"You're not okay? Is it the baby?" Santana asked and panic was starting to set in.

"No, it's not the baby." Brittany said still looking down. As upset as she was with Santana, she didn't want her to worry herself to death over the baby. That wouldn't be fair. "I got into it with some guy that wouldn't leave me alone and kept touching me, so I punched him and I hurt my hand." She said telling her only the half-truth.

She wanted to tell her how upset she was about seeing her and Marcus going into a bedroom, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about it because just thinking about it formed a lump in her throat.

"You what?!" Santana yelped, flinging the car door open, practically taking it off its hinges. "Let me see." She said kneeling down, not worrying that her knees were getting dirty and took both of Brittany's hands into her own. When she saw the redness and swelling of her right hand, she cupped it gently between both of her hands. "Oh Britt, I'm so sorry." She sighed. "Who did this to you; because I'm going to go in there and give them a couple more punches! They'll never touch you again." She said angrily. She was ready to kick someone's ass.

Brittany's heart swelled at hearing that, but it was quickly replaced by the thought of her and Marcus going into that bedroom. She couldn't get it out of her mind, and she couldn't handle being there anymore. "Thanks, but you don't have to do that." She said and finally looked up at Santana. Her protectiveness, the way she was looking at her, and the way she was being so gentle with her injured hand touched Brittany, as well as hurt her a little more, because all she wanted to do was lean in and kiss her, but she knew she couldn't. "I just…I just want to go home. Can we please go, San?"

Santana nodded and pulled Brittany into a tight hug. Brittany was stiff when Santana hugged her at first, but it only took a few seconds for her to melt into the embrace. It felt so good to be close to Santana and she felt a little less mad at her. She was still incredibly hurt, but she was less angry.

"I'll be right back." Santana said after she pulled back and then took off towards the house again.

Less than five minutes later, Santana returned to the car with Marcus. She slid into the front seat beside Brittany and Marcus sat behind her.

"Are you okay to drive with your hand?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Brittany said.

It was clipped, but she was trying to calm herself down because seeing Marcus after doing god knows what with Santana in that bedroom was making her sad again, and she didn't want to start crying in front of them.

They rode in silence all the way to Marcus' house and when they got there, Santana walked him up to the door. Brittany turned her head to look down the street, because she knew that this was their break up. They were going to say goodbye to each other, and she couldn't watch them. She couldn't bear it, so she just looked away until Santana got back in the car.

Santana sighed as she buckled her seat belt.

"Are you okay?" Brittany managed to ask as she put the car into reverse.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just sad my friend is leaving." Santana said and then took Brittany's sore hand into her own and gently rubbed it. "Let's go home."

The drive home was just as silent as it had been going to Marcus'. Both girls were lost in their thoughts. Brittany felt a little better that Santana wasn't sad about the break up, but she still couldn't get the visions of Marcus kissing her or them going into that bedroom out of her head. Her imagination was running wild and none of it was good. Santana on the other hand wasn't even thinking about Marcus. She was so mad at herself for leaving Brittany alone at the party. She knew she shouldn't have and she was beating herself up about it.

When they got home, the house was dark because Maribel was working an overnight shift. They went into the house and Santana called her mother to ask her about Brittany's hand. It didn't sound broken to Maribel, so she suggested icing it, and then she would examine it when she got home.

They went into the kitchen and Brittany sat down at the table while Santana went to get an ice pack out of the freezer. She pulled out a chair to sit down in front of Brittany and then she took her hand and gently placed the pack on top.

Brittany hissed as she felt the cold, but Santana held onto her hand so she wouldn't pull back.

"I'm sorry." Santana squeaked. "I know it's cold. We just have to do this for a little while."

"Okay." Brittany said and she looked everywhere except straight at Santana.

It was awkwardly quiet for a while before Santana sighed deeply. They hadn't said a word to each other in almost ten minutes, and she couldn't take Brittany avoiding her anymore.

"I'm so sorry about tonight, Britt." She said and Brittany finally looked at her. "I shouldn't have left you alone. There were too many people there that you didn't know, and almost all of them were drinking. If I was there, that asshole would've never dared to touch you, and you wouldn't be hurt again."

"This isn't your fault." Brittany said softly.

"Yes it is. I should have been there to protect you." Santana said sadly and lifted the ice pack to look at Brittany's hand. The swelling had gone down a little bit, so she put the pack back, thinking that it would only need a few more minutes.

"You can't be with me everywhere I go." Brittany reasoned, no matter how much she would like to have Santana around her all the time. "I've dealt with people being an ass to me for most of my life."

"But you shouldn't have to deal with that though. I know I can't be with you everywhere you go, and you're going to meet people on your own, but I never should have left you alone at that party. Actually, we never should have been there in the first place. It was stupid of me to take you there. You didn't really know anyone, and I know how sloppy and shitty some of those people can get when they drink. Thank god nothing worse happened." Santana said. If anything else had happened to Brittany, or the baby, she would never be able to forgive herself. "This is one-hundred percent my fault."

Brittany knew that there was nothing she could say that was going to change her mind, so she changed the subject. "It wasn't all bad tonight, I did have some fun." She said with a little smile. "When I was dancing with you…and with Mike, but I liked dancing with you the best."

Santana smiled at the memory. "That was my favorite part too. It was the best part about tonight." She said and took away the ice pack again. The swelling had gone down a little more, so she set the pack on the table and covered Brittany's hand with her own to warm it up. "As far as Puck's parties go, this one was the worst, and that's saying something because they're all the same; loud music, tons of alcohol, and drunk-asses everywhere.

"So why was this one the worst?" Brittany asked curiously.

"It just was." Santana said. "Marcus was saying goodbye to a lot of his friends, and I can't stand most of them when they're sober, so spending any time with them when they've been drinking was just a pain in the ass. After a while I was so annoyed that I needed a break from them or I was going to lose it, so we went upstairs for a while."

Brittany felt a lump form in her throat again. She really didn't want to know what they did in the bedroom, but there was a small part of her that wanted to know because she knew her imagination would torture her if she didn't.

"What happened then?" She asked looking down at their hands. She couldn't look Santana in the face when she told her she had sex with Marcus.

"Nothing really." Santana said with a shrug. "We just talked."

Brittany snapped her head up when she heard that and she felt a rush of adrenalin flow though her. _"Is she saying what I think she's saying?"_ She thought, getting her hopes up. "You mean you didn't…you know…?" She couldn't say it.

"No. He wanted to, but I didn't." Santana said with a dry chuckle, and Brittany nearly jumped up from her seat in excitement and happiness. "Sleeping with him would only complicate things."

"That's great." Brittany blurted and Santana raised an eyebrow. "Uh-I mean it's good that you two ended things on a good note. You know-uncomplicated." She covered and she was practically bursting on the inside knowing that they didn't sleep together. Her mood had just made a complete turn and she wasn't mad at Santana anymore.

"It is what it is." Santana said shrugging. "I don't know how much longer we would have been together anyways. He deserves to be with someone who will love him as something more than a friend."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Brittany said, and for a moment she felt bad for Marcus, because he was in love with a girl who didn't love him back, at least not in that way, he just didn't know it. She hoped that he found that love one day. She was just glad that it wasn't with the girl that she loved.

"Anyways, enough about Marcus. Let's have a look at your hand." Santana said lifting her hand that was on top of Brittany's, and then since she was holding her hand from the bottom she lifted it a bit so she could get a better look at it. "It's still red and a little swollen, but it looks better. Can you move it?"

Brittany balled her hand into a fist twice and she whimpered before she laid it flat against Santana's hand again. "It still hurts, but I can move it."

"Mom was probably right that it's not broken." Santana said looking down at her hand and gently rubbing it with her thumbs. "It's just tender. Hopefully it will be better in a few days."

"Yeah, hopefully." Brittany said.

Santana massaged her hand for a little while longer, getting lost in her task, and before she knew what she was doing, she was leaning down and pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the top of her center knuckle.

Brittany's eyes widened and she was shocked that Santana had kissed her hand, but she wasn't complaining because it felt good. Her hand start to tingle and it moved all the way up her arm and spread throughout the rest of her body.

When Santana pulled her lips away from the soft skin, she still hadn't fully processed what she had done by kissing Brittany's hand. She lifted her eyes and she found Brittany's staring back at her, and she got lost in them. Brittany cracked a smile and she was looking at her as she had a few nights before after their day out that was not-a-date-but-felt-like-one. She made Santana feel as if she was the most important thing in her world, and she felt a strong urge, one stronger than before, to kiss her.

She looked down to Brittany's lips and back up to her eyes before she licked her lips and leaned in pressing her lips softly to Brittany's. Instantly she could have sworn her whole body was on fire. Brittany's lips felt so good on her own, and chaste as it was, it was the best kiss that Santana had ever had because it actually made her feel a burning and tingling not only on her lips, but also in the pit of her stomach. She moved to deepen the kiss, but then reality came crashing down on her and she realized what she had done. She had let her feelings get the better of her again and she kissed Brittany, who was her friend, but also a girl, and she was afraid that she had made one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

She pulled back so quickly that it startled Brittany, but Santana interpreted her look as one of alarm and distress, and she knew that she had stepped over a line that she should have never crossed. "I'm so sorry!" She yelped and abruptly stood up. "I don't know why I did that. I'm stupid. Can you just forget this happened?" She said and Brittany was so confused by her outburst that she was speechless; not that Santana had given her enough time to answer anyways, because the moment of silence that rested between them made Santana completely freak out, and think that she had ruined everything. "I'm s-sorry, B-Britt." She said trembling and backing away from Brittany. "I'll just gay- GO! I gotta go!" She cried and turned away from Brittany, bolting for her room.

She made it as far as the bottom of the stairs before Brittany grabbed her by the hand. "Santana wait!" She said, turning Santana around and she wasted no time in cupping both of her cheeks and kissing her again.

Santana was shocked by the kiss. She had expected Brittany to yell at her, not kiss her. This kiss felt even better than their first and she easily gave into it, wrapping her hands around Brittany's hips, and pulling her flush against her as she deepened the kiss.

They kissed until they were out of breath, forcing them to part for air. Brittany smiled at Santana's dazed expression and wrapped her arms around her neck before she rested their foreheads together. The both closed their eyes as they breathed each other in.

"Santana," Brittany sighed contently, "I've wanted this for _so_ long." She could hardly believe that this was happening.

"So you're not upset with me for kissing you?" Santana said and Brittany started to giggle, because that much should be obvious.

She pulled back a little so she could look at Santana. She shook her head and smiled widely. "No. I'm not mad, I'm so, so happy." She said and then she leaned forward, nuzzling her nose with Santana's. "In fact, I wanna do it again." She whispered and connected their lips for another sweet kiss.

When they parted again, Brittany cupped Santana's cheek with her good hand and rubbed it with her thumb. "Are you okay?" She asked because Santana was calmer than she had been after her frantic outburst, but Brittany could tell that she was still anxious.

"I-I think so…but there's so much-I mean what- umm…" Santana said, unable to gather her thoughts coherently.

Brittany just smiled at her, and placed a soft lingering kiss to her lips. "Hey, it's okay. It's really late. Why don't we go to bed, and we can talk about it tomorrow."

"Bed?" Santana asked confused and more than a little scared because that could have a sexual implication and she was not ready for that.

She was still trying to grasp the fact that she actually kissed Brittany in the first place, and that they had already kissed four times in the span of a few minutes. It was just so much to process that she knew that anything remotely sexual would make her so anxious that she would quite literally turn into a basket case. She was barely holding herself together at the moment. Her emotions were all over the place and threatening to spill out.

"Yeah, bed. You know sleep." Brittany said understanding Santana's unsaid question and slid her hand down Santana's arm and took her hand. "We can cuddle."

Santana sighed in relief. Cuddling she could handle. "Okay." She said slowly with a small smile and allowed Brittany to lead her upstairs.

They disappeared into their own rooms for few minutes to change into their pajamas and then they met in their bathroom where they shared shy glances and smiles as they brushed their teeth and washed their faces. When they were finished, Brittany took Santana's hand again.

"So…my bed or yours?"

"Umm, it doesn't matter." Santana said. She just wanted to be with Brittany.

Brittany nodded. "Let's go to yours." She said thinking that the familiarity of her own room would help ease some of Santana's anxiousness.

She led Santana to her room, and they closed the door and turned off the lights, sliding into their respective sides. Brittany leaned over kissing Santana one more time. It was chaste, but sweet. "Can I hold you?" She asked in a low voice.

Santana nodded and nuzzled her nose with Brittany's. "Yes." She whispered her breath ghosting over Brittany's lips before she rolled over onto her other side.

Brittany scooted over a little and put her arm around Santana's hip, resting her nose into the crook of her neck, and then pulled Santana into her a little more, so they were pressed tightly against each other.

Santana took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself. She had held Brittany before as they slept, usually after a nightmare, and they had held hands while they slept too, but this time was different. This time Brittany was holding her and it wasn't because she was comforting her from something that was distressing her. It was because they just wanted to be close to each other. It was a moment of pure intimacy between them, and that scared Santana because she had never had that before, but now that she did, she didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to act.

Brittany sensed her angst, and she moved her hand up so she could take Santana's hand. It was with her sore hand, so she was careful as she took it, and lightly squeezed. "It's okay. Just sleep and we'll talk about things tomorrow." She whispered and tilted her head so she could place a kiss to the ridge of Santana's jaw before she rested her nose in the crook of her neck again.

Santana felt a tingling spread over hear body and she let out a little sigh. She felt a little calmer. "Okay." She said daring to lift their clasped hands and placed a kiss to the knuckle of Brittany's thumb before she closed her eyes. Within minutes, her breathing had evened out.

"Night, San." Brittany mumbled sleepily into Santana's neck.

"Night, Britt." Santana whispered and despite her anxiety over what her current situation meant, she couldn't help but to smile.

She never expected to find herself wrapped in Brittany's arms as they laid to together in bed after sharing several amazing kisses, but now that she has, it surprised her how right if felt. She was still scared about what the future would bring them, but mixed in with that fear of the unknown, was a new kind of happiness that she had never felt before.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : See, didn't I tell you all after the last chapter to trust me to take care of our girls? This didn't take the terrible turn that some of you thought it might. Marcus is out of the picture (you'll see him again, later in the fic though) and our girls have kissed! If you have a few minutes, please let me know what you thought of the chapter/story so far.

To my beta **naynay1963** , thank you so much for continuing to beta even though you are so busy with the real world. I appreciate you so much.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The next morning, Brittany was the first to wake up. She smiled when she noticed that Santana was still in her arms. She wanted to nuzzle into Santana's neck and go back to sleep, but unfortunately before she could do that, she needed to go to the bathroom and relieve her bladder. She was still holding Santana's hand and her arm was tucked under Santana's, so she gently untangled herself so as to not wake her, and then she kissed her softly on the cheek before she slipped out of bed. She closed the bedroom door behind her as she left the room and went into the bathroom.

When she was finished, she washed her hands and went downstairs to get a drink before intending to go cuddle with Santana again. She walked into the kitchen and she jumped when she saw Maribel sitting at the table eating the last of her toast. She had not been expecting to see her there. She thought she would have been in bed already after her overnight shift.

"Are you okay?" Maribel asked with a little chuckle.

Brittany put her hand over her heart and nodded. "Yeah. You scared me is all. I wasn't expecting you to be sitting there."

"I just got in actually. Things were crazy last night and it took a while for me to turn over everything to the day nurse." Maribel said and then slid a chair out and patted it. "Come sit and let me look at your hand."

Brittany nodded and did as she was told. Maribel wiped her hands with a napkin and then took Brittany's right hand into her own and examined it, putting pressure on certain spots, and asking her to move it.

"How's it feel?" Maribel asked, still gently pressing on her hand.

"It hurts a little, but it feels better than it did last night. Almost all the redness is gone and it's not as swollen. You can hardly tell that it's swollen anymore."

Maribel nodded and then looked up at Brittany. "I don't think it's broken, luckily, but you should ice it again today to help that little bit of swelling go down."

"Okay."

"So where's Santana?"

"She's still sleeping." Brittany said. "I just got up to go to the bathroom and to get a drink, and then I was going to lay down again for a little bit."

"That's probably a good idea." Maribel said and she had a serious look on her face. "When I get up from my nap, we all need to have a little talk about what happened last night."

Brittany's stomach dropped because she could tell that Maribel wasn't happy. She knew that they were in trouble. "Okay." Brittany squeaked.

Maribel nodded, standing up and putting her plate in the sink before going over to the refrigerator to get two bottles of water. She handed one to Brittany and then leaned down and kissed her on her forehead. "Get some rest honey; we'll talk in a few hours."

"Okay." Brittany whispered watching Maribel leave the room. She closed her eyes and let out a nervous breath she didn't realize that she was holding. "Damn it." She whispered to herself. Maribel had been so nice to her and the last thing she wanted to do was upset her.

Brittany opened her water, took a drink, and then went to the refrigerator to grab a handful of grapes to snack on before she went upstairs again. When she opened the door to Santana's room, she saw that she was still sleeping, but that she had turned over onto her other side. Brittany chose to believe that she had missed her and she was subconsciously looking for her. She set the water bottle on the nightstand and slid into bed.

Santana stirred when she felt the movement. "Are you okay? Is your hand bothering you?" She asked groggily and rubbed her eyes.

"It's fine." She said, choosing to wait to tell Santana about her mother wanting to talk until later. She wanted a little more time with Santana before things got serious. "I just got up to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, okay." Santana mumbled and she had a little smile on her face.

Brittany slid her hand into Santana's, lacing their fingers together. "Let's go back to sleep." She said.

Santana nodded and closed her eyes before she rolled over onto her other side. Brittany took that as a sign that Santana wanted to cuddle again, so she scooted closer as she wrapped her arm around Santana's waist and rested her nose in the crook of her neck. Santana was asleep again within seconds, but Britany was a little more awake, so she laid there listening to her breathe, her own breath matching the even rhythm of Santana's until she fell asleep again.

-()-()-()-()-

Three hours later, Brittany woke up again, but this time when she opened her eyes, she found Santana's beautiful brown eyes staring at her.

"Hey." Brittany said smiling, her voice dry from sleep.

"Hi." Santana said with a little smile.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Mm-hmm." Santana nodded. "You?"

"I slept great." Brittany cooed. She looked down at Santana's lips before she looked up at her eyes. "I really wanna kiss you right now." She said.

"You can't!" Santana blurted, eyes wide and covering her mouth. "I have morning breath."

Brittany giggled and scooted a little closer to Santana, gently wrapping her fingers around Santana's wrist and pulling her hand away. "So, I don't care about that." She said and leaned in, cupping Santana's cheek with her hand and waiting for permission to close the distance between them.

Santana's eyes flitted between Brittany's eyes and her lips a few times, her body buzzing from Brittany being so close and ready to kiss her that she finally lost her resolve and nodded her head slightly. Brittany smiled a little wider before she moved forward a few inches and took Santana's bottom lip between her own, kissing her softly.

The sweet kiss lasted a few moments before she pulled back a bit, her nose nuzzling with Santana and her lips ghosting over Santana's. Before she could back away any further though, Santana pushed aside her self-consciousness about her morning breath and leaned forward, kissing Brittany again; kissing her a little deeper this time.

When they parted, Brittany rested their foreheads together and rubbed Santana's cheek with her thumb. "I've wanted to give you a morning kiss for so long, and now that I can, it's even better in real life that the ones in my head."

Santana smiled, her heart fluttering at hearing that. "Yeah?"

Brittany leaned backed, looking Santana in the eyes and nodding. "Yeah." She cooed. "I've liked you since the moment I met you."

Santana's smile slowly faded and she looked down. "Oh."

Brittany furrowed her eyebrows at Santana's unexpected reaction. She thought she would be happy to hear that she liked her, not sad. "What? What's wrong?" She asked tilting Santana's chin so she would look at her. She gently rubbed her cheek with her thumb. "Santana please tell me what's wrong."

Santana searched Brittany's worried face before she lowered her eyes, and stared at her hand. "Do you…do you like me because you like me…or do you _think_ you like me because I was the one that found you after your accident."

It took Brittany a few seconds to understand what Santana was asking, and when she realized what Santana thought, her heart clenched tightly in her chest. "God Santana, is that what you think?" She sighed sitting up and taking both of Santana's hands, coaxing her to sit up. She brought both of their hands up to her lips and she kissed Santana knuckles. "Santana, I like you because I like you."

"But, how can you be sure? That was so traumatic and-" Santana started to say but Brittany cut her off.

"I am sure. I've never been surer about anything in my whole life. I don't think you realize how much you mean to me." Brittany said, tightening her hold on Santana's hands. "I felt a connection to you from the very beginning, and you're right the accident was traumatic, and yes I did cling to you after that because you were comforting for me, but it's not the only reason I like you. Santana, you're the most amazing person I've ever met. You're funny, and sweet, and smart, and so beautiful…and the more time I spent getting to know you, the more I liked you. You were kind to me when you didn't have to be, and after having people be so mean to me for most of my life, it was nice to finally have a true friend. You're my best friend, and I would have settled on just being your friend, because I wanted you in my life in any way I could get, but honestly, just being your friend isn't ever going to be enough."

Santana felt choked up listening to Brittany bare her feelings for her. "You mean so much to me too." She said with a lump forming in her throat. "I think I liked you from the beginning too, I just didn't realize how much I liked you until a few weeks ago."

"When did you realize it?" Brittany asked curiously, because she knew the exact moment that she realized her feelings for Santana were more than friendly. It didn't take her long either. As soon as she found out about Santana having a boyfriend while they were getting ready to leave the hospital, she felt the sting of jealousy.

Santana's cheeks heated up. "Um, that day that we went swimming for the first time."

Brittany's eyebrows shot up when she realized what she was saying. "Is that what made you pull away from me?"

Santana looked down ashamed and nodded. "I totally freaked out."

"Why?" Brittany asked.

"I-" Santana started to say, but then she sighed and shook her head.

Brittany pulled up one of Santana's hands and kissed it softly. "Santana, it's okay."

"No it's not. I treated you so badly and you didn't deserve that." She said softly, still looking down.

Brittany let go of one of Santana's hands and cupped her cheek. "San, look at me." She said, and when Santana didn't move, she rubbed her cheek, but she didn't force her chin up. "San, I forgave you for that. Please look at me and tell me what you're thinking."

It took a few moments, but Santana eventually raised her head and looked at Brittany. She had tears welling in her eyes. "I was so afraid."

"Afraid of me?" Brittany asked completely surprised. She couldn't imagine what about her was scary.

Santana nodded. "Kinda, because I thought you would never feel this way about me, and you wouldn't want to be around me anymore if you ever found out, but mostly I was scared of my feelings for you and what they mean. I'm still scared of them."

"Why?" Brittany asked, because she didn't understand how their feelings for each other could be bad.

"Because I shouldn't feel this way for you. We're both girls, and if I like you the way I'm supposed to feel about boys, then it means I'm..." she paused for a moment because she had a hard time saying her next word, "It means I'm g-gay, and that terrifies me because people are going to treat me differently, and talk about me behind my back like there's something wrong with me."

"Oh honey, there is nothing wrong with you. You're perfect." Brittany sighed. "And who says we aren't supposed to feel like this?"

"Society, everyone." Santana answered. "This is Lima Ohio; people here are not as accepting of gay people."

"Well those people are stupid." Brittany spat.

"You're not afraid of people being shitty to you for being gay?"

"Well first, I'm not gay." Brittany clarified and Santana's eyebrows shot up and Brittany could see the panic behind her eyes rise, so she quickly continued, "I'm bi. I've known that for a long time; not that that would make a difference to most people if they knew we were together. They'd just assume I was gay. And second, I've dealt with people being shitty to me for a lot of reasons, so them being shitty to me for being with you would not even phase me, because I don't care what they think. I _know_ there is nothing wrong with us, and loving you is not wrong. It's the best feeling in the world."

"Love?" Santana said catching Brittany's wording. "You love me?"

Brittany had not meant to let that slip. It was true, she loved Santana so much, but she thought declaring her love to her now would be too soon for Santana, but since it was out and in the open, she wasn't going to back down.

Brittany smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I do."

Santana shifted nervously, trying to gather her thoughts. "Britt, I…I-"

"You don't have to say it back." Brittany said in a soft voice. "I want you to say it when you mean it."

Santana felt terrible, because she was afraid that she had hurt Brittany's feelings, so she quickly blurted out what she was trying to say before. "I think I love you. I've never felt like this about anyone before, but everything is confusing and moving so fast, and I'm still trying to understand it and figure it out. My feelings are all jumbled up in knots."

Brittany smiled because while Santana's response wasn't an 'I love you', it had the potential to become one, which was the next best thing to a declaration of love, and that was good enough for her. She leaned in, kissing Santana's lips softly. Santana was surprised by the kiss, but it felt so good, that it calmed her a little and she leaned into it, letting out a soft, content sigh.

"It's okay, San. You don't have to say it until you're sure." Brittany said pulling back so Santana could see that she meant that. "We have plenty of time to figure things out together…if that's what you want."

Santana searched Brittany face for a few moments. "I wanna be with you, I'm just scared."

"That's okay." Brittany said. "We don't have to tell anyone. We can keep it between us until you're ready for other people to know."

"What if that takes a long time?" Santana asked worried. She didn't want to Brittany to think that she didn't want to be with her openly, but she needed time. She wasn't ready for a public announcement.

"Then we'll wait. Nothing would make me happier than to tell everyone, whether they like it or not, that we're a couple, and that you love me as much as I love you, but I only want that when you're ready. I'm not going to push us to come out. If we have to be a secret for a while, then that's okay, because I still get to be with you."

Santana couldn't believe how great Brittany was. "I wish I was brave like you."

Brittany let out a short chuckle. "I'm not always brave. I was scared too."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Why?"

"Well, like you, I was afraid that you wouldn't ever like me more than a friend. I didn't think that I could compete with Marcus. You two have history together and he's been one of your best friends for years. I was so jealous of him because you were his girlfriend, and not mine, but I mean why would you give up such a great guy like him for a homeless pregnant girl like me."

"Britt." Santana breathed out and tightened her grip on Brittany's hand. "You aren't just some 'homeless, pregnant girl'; you're so much more than that. You know I love your baby almost as much as you do…and there was no competition between you and Marcus." She said with a shy smile. "I told you, I've never felt this way about anyone before. You're the first person that has given me butterflies in my stomach just by smiling at me, or tingles in my hand from holding it, or given me the urge to want to kiss them. Before you, I didn't think anyone could make me feel like that."

"Really?" Brittany asked with a shy smile.

"Mm-hmm. It's amazing and terrifying at the same time."

Brittany giggled and nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"I still can't believe any of this is happening." Santana said.

"Me either." Brittany cooed, lightly squeezing Santana's hand. "So does this mean as long as we're by ourselves, I can kiss you whenever I want?"

Santana smiled and nodded. "As long as I can to do the same thing."

"Do you wanna kiss me now?" Brittany asked playfully.

"Yes." Santana giggled.

"I thought so." Brittany said smugly as Santana leaned in, kissing her.

Both girls sighed contently as their lips touched. Santana leaned into Brittany a little more, deepening the sweet embrace. When they parted, they were both dazed by how good it felt.

"I love your sweet lady kisses." Brittany whispered.

Santana felt her cheeks heat up. "I love them too."

"I could lay here and cuddle and kiss you all day." Brittany said.

Santana chuckled. "Me too, but I'm sure my mom will notice if we don't get out of bed."

"I guess." Brittany said with a little pout.

Santana leaned in and pecked her lips, kissing the pout away. "So what do you wanna do today?" She chirped. While the full nature of their relationship was going to be kept between them for now, they were best friends and she still wanted to go out and do things with Brittany.

"Umm…I don't think we're going to be allowed to do anything today?" Brittany said and Santana cranked a curious eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I think we're in trouble." Brittany said. Santana shook her head because she didn't understand why, so Brittany continued. "I saw your mom this morning when I got up. I went to get a drink and she was in the kitchen eating. She checked over my hand, and then she said that she wanted to have a talk with both of us about last night when she gets up from her nap."

Santana's face slowly morphed from confused into understanding. When she had called her mother the night before, she didn't think of the consequences of telling her that they had been at a party and Brittany had injured her hand by punching some drunk guy that wouldn't leave her alone. At the time, she was just concerned about what they should do about Brittany's hand. She didn't care about anything else.

Santana nodded and sighed. "Yeah, we're in trouble."

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Another chapter completed! I hope you all liked it. If you have a moment, please let me know your thoughts. Even though it was short, I really enjoyed writing this chapter.

Also, I wanted to say that I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and finding the comfort they need after the last few days and the tragedy in Orlando. My heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones. Remember that love is love, and that love beautiful.

As always, huge thanks to my beta **naynay1963**! I'm going on vacation this week and she made sure I was able to update for you all before I left town.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

As it turned out, they were in trouble. A lot of trouble. Maribel was mad that they were at a party with alcohol, but what she was really upset about was that Brittany got hurt. Anything could have happened to her or the baby, and she was disappointed that they didn't use better judgment. She didn't think a party like that was appropriate for them on a regular basis, but with Brittany being pregnant, it was not somewhere that they needed to be. She didn't think that it was safe.

Santana didn't argue with her mother. She came to that conclusion on her own the night before, she was just upset with herself that Brittany had to get hurt for her to learn that lesson. She didn't particularly like going to Puck's parties in the first place, so she wasn't bothered when her mother banned them from going to a party like that again. It was no great loss to her.

As punishment, Maribel grounded them for two weeks, which didn't really upset Santana and Brittany, because other than having extra chores to do around the house, it meant that they were able to spend more time together in the privacy of their own home to explore their new relationship. When Maribel was home, they acted as they normally did, but when Maribel wasn't watching or she was at work, things were different. They had always had a physical aspect to their friendship, where they touched each other more than they did other people, but now that there was a romantic element to their relationship, the way they touched each other when they were alone lingered, and had a tenderness that neither of them had felt before.

In the time that they were grounded from the outside world, they became so much closer, and Santana slowly started to become more comfortable with the idea of being with a girl. It was very different from being with a boy, but she liked it better. She liked being with Brittany a lot. She still wasn't ready to tell the world that she preferred girls to boys, but she was making progress in accepting herself, which was what was important to both of them.

They had enjoyed the last two weeks together so much that it made them sad that their grounding was over and things would be changing for them. August was more than half over, which meant that school would be starting in a few weeks, and Santana would be busy with cheerleading camp.

"Saaan! My clothes don't fit anymore!" Brittany huffed coming into Santana's bedroom in a pair of sweat pants and a baggy shirt. She was thirteen weeks pregnant, and her belly was growing. She still didn't look pregnant, considering she was so fit before, but her belly was noticeably rounder and her breasts were a little fuller. "Nothing fits except this!"

Santana had to bite her lip to keep from laughing because she thought Brittany was cute when she was annoyed. Her mother was home, so she closed her door and wrapped her arms around Brittany, bringing her into her and kissing her softly on the lips. Brittany easily returned the kiss, and within moments, she calmed down a little.

When they parted, Santana nuzzled their noses, and slid her hands down Brittany's sides to cradle her tiny baby bump and then she kneeled down, kissing Brittany's belly through her shirt. It was something that she had started doing in the past few days, and they both loved it.

"Britt, you look great." Santana cooed and kissed her belly again. "Your little belly is so adorable."

"It's not little." Brittany grumbled. "I can't zip up my shorts or jeans anymore without it pinching, and my shirts are too tight."

"I think it means that we need to go shopping." Santana said with a smile as she stood up again, her hands still on Brittany's stomach.

"Yeah, for maternity clothes." Brittany said, still annoyed. She was okay with her pregnancy so far, but now that her clothes didn't fit anymore and her belly and breasts were bigger, she was having a hard time adjusting to her new body.

"Hey, don't be like that." Santana said and leaned in, kissing Brittany's lips again. "You're beautiful."

Brittany couldn't help but to smile. She loved hearing Santana tell her that.

"Come on. Let's go tell mom that we need to go get you new clothes." Santana said releasing Brittany from her hold. "I know for a fact she was just waiting on you to tell her you needed them."

"How do you know?" Brittany asked rubbing her arm nervously.

"Because I saw her looking at maternity clothes on her computer the other day."

"Oh?" Brittany said a little surprised. "Did they look okay?" She asked and she was worried about what she would say. She had it in her head that maternity clothes were frumpy, and not at all cute.

"I didn't see much, but the shirt that she was looking at was pretty cute."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it was pink and white with a swoop neck. I mean it didn't even look like a maternity shirt. It just looked like something that you'd find in the regular section."

That made Brittany feel a little better. "Okay. I guess something like that would be nice. I just don't want to look like an old lady."

Santana chuckled and hooked her pinky around Brittany's. "Don't worry. I wouldn't let that happen, and you know mom is always on point. You're going to be the cutest pregnant girl ever."

-()-()-()-()-

When they got home from shopping, Brittany was in a better mood. She now had clothes that fit, that were neither frumpy or 'old lady'. She bounced into her room in a new outfit that she wore out of the store, happy to be out of her tight clothes, and started to spread her new clothes over the bed so she could look at them again.

"San, what do you think I should wear tomorrow?"

Santana had asked Brittany if she wanted to come with her to camp to watch and hangout. She didn't tell her that she planned to talk to Sue about Brittany helping with the team as an extracurricular. She couldn't be a cheerleader while pregnant, but she could be another assistant like Becky. It was worth a shot at least, and if Sue said no, well then Brittany wouldn't be the wiser, but she was hoping that she said yes and that Brittany wanted to be an assistant. It would let Brittany meet some new people and hopefully make some more friends before school started, and the fact that it would mean that they could be together during camp was a definite plus.

"How about those white shorts and the gray shirt with the red heart?" Santana offered.

Brittany thought about it and then nodded. "I like it."

"Good, because you looked great in them." Santana said with a warm smile.

Brittany smiled as well and leaned in, kissing Santana. Santana returned the kiss, but she pulled back quicker than she normally would because she knew that Brittany's door was open, and her mother could walk by at any time.

Brittany pouted, she wasn't ready for the kiss to end, but she understood Santana's hesitation, and she was getting better. In the beginning, Santana wouldn't even kiss her if they weren't behind closed doors when Maribel was home, so the fact that she let her kiss her with the door open was more progress.

"So what do you wanna do tonight?" Brittany asked.

"I was thinking we could go out to dinner, just the two of us, and then if you're up for it, we could go to a movie.

Brittany smiled and then looked over Santana's shoulder towards the door before leaning in really close. "Are you asking me out on a date?" She whispered with a hopeful look, because this would be the first time since they started dating that they could go out together, and she really wanted to go a date with Santana.

Santana's cheeks heated up. Brittany caught what she was doing. She intended to bring up going out together casually, but as usual, Brittany saw through her. "I-yeah, I am." She said fidgeting with her fingers nervously. "Do you wanna go out on a d-date with me?"

Brittany smiled widely and nodded. "I would love to." She said with a little chuckle.

"Great." Santana sighed in relief. Not that she thought that Brittany would turn her down, but it was the first time that she asked anyone out on a date, instead of being the one asked, and it made her nervous, because going on their first date together was a huge deal for her.

Brittany glanced over Santana's shoulder again, and when she didn't see Maribel, she leaned in and pecked Santana on the lips. "I'm glad my first date is going to be with you." She whispered.

Santana blinked in surprise, because she didn't realize that this was going to be Brittany's first date ever. She always seemed to forget that before coming to Lima, Brittany's life was so different from hers. She still couldn't understand how people could have been so mean to her, or ignored her, or in the case of the sperm donor (she refused to refer to him as 'the father') taken advantage of someone as great as Brittany.

"I'm glad your first date is with me too…" Santana said finding a spark of bravery and she put her arms around Brittany's neck without looking over her shoulder, and rested their foreheads together. "I'm also glad my first date with someone I actually want to go out with, is with you."

Brittany's heart practically leaped out of her chest at hearing that, and she leaned forward, connecting their lips in a sweet embrace. Santana hummed into the kiss, and Brittany deepened it for a few moments, before she pulled back.

"Your sweet lady kisses are amazing." Brittany cooed.

Santana giggled. "Yours too."

"So are you ready to go, and can I drive?" Brittany asked.

Maribel had bought her a car a few days prior, and with the money that her dad sent from the insurance claim, and a little money that Maribel added to it, it was a newer and better car than she had before, and she was eager to drive it.

"Sure, I just need to change into something nicer."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Umm, yeah? Why wouldn't it be?" Santana asked confused as to why Brittany wanted to go on their first date in causal shorts and t-shirts."

"Don't you think your mom is going to wonder why we changed just to go out to the movies by ourselves?" Brittany asked.

Santana's bubble burst with that, because Brittany was right. They were supposed to be 'just friends' going to a movie. If they dressed up to go out, her mother would definitely be suspicious. Santana didn't think that she would think that they were going on a date together; she would probably think that they were going out to meet some guys. She did not want to deal with the inquisition that would bring; and the effort it would take to convince her mother that they weren't meeting up with any guys, without telling her that they were going on a date with each other, was too much.

Santana sighed pouting. While she knew that hiding the true nature of their relationship from her mother was her own doing, she was still miffed that it was putting a kink in her plans.

"You're right, but I really wanna make our first date special, and I wanna dress up for you."

"But honey, it will be special." Brittany said taking Santana's hand. "We're going on a _real_ date together. It doesn't matter what we're wearing, I'll just be happy to go out with you like other couples do, even if we have to hide it. We'll know it's a date and that's all that matters."

Santana smiled and lightly squeezed Brittany's hand, because she always had a way to turn a negative into a positive. "I guess you're right, as always."

Brittany leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I would have liked to dress up for you too. You're always beautiful to me, but I'm sure you would have looked stunning in whatever outfit you had planned to wear tonight, and it would have made my heart pound in my chest knowing that you wore it just for me."

Butterfly flutters formed in Santana's stomach. She loved it when Brittany said things like that to her. "You're always beautiful to me too."

"I guess we're just two beautiful people going on a date together then." Brittany said with a wide smile and when she said the word 'date', she felt her own flutters.

"I guess so." Santana said, her smile mirroring Brittany's.

"So, where are you taking me for dinner?" Brittany chirped.

"I thought I'd let you choose."

Brittany searched Santana's face and then winked. "You know, I think I'm in the mood for some 'Stix."

Santana's face brightened at the mention of Breadstix. "I knew there was a reason I liked you." She teased.

"Oh, you like me for a lot of reasons." Brittany drawled with a knowing smirk.

Santana's cheeks heated up as many of those reasons came to mind. "I do."

-()-()-()-()-

As much as Santana had enjoyed their not-a-date-but-felt-like-a-date outing from a few weeks ago, nothing could have prepared her for what an actual date with Brittany would feel like. Both times, it was just dinner and a movie, so it didn't seem as if there would be much of a difference between the two, but just knowing that this time was a real date made a huge difference. Everything felt bigger and so much better this time.

They sat across from each other at Breadstix, making normal conversation and sharing knowing smiles of their secret. Santana wanted so badly to reach over, take Brittany's hand, and hold it while they were eating, but she couldn't muster the courage do it in the crowded restaurant. Brittany seemed to sense that she wanted some physical contact, so she slipped off her sandal that was closest to the booth wall, so it wasn't as noticeable, and slowly trailed it up Santana's leg. Santana was surprised by the move, causing her to drop her fork and her cheeks to heat up, but after she had a moment to recover, she returned the contact by slipping off her flip flop as well. They played footsie for the rest of dinner, and after Santana paid for the check; Brittany surprised her again by putting a napkin over their hands and holding her hand as she smiled at her with a look that told her that nothing but her mattered. The moment was brief, lasting less than twenty seconds, but it meant a lot to both of them.

When they got into the car to leave the restaurant, Brittany looked around to make sure that she didn't see anyone, and then she leaned in, placing a quick, but soft kiss to Santana's lips.

"Thanks for dinner." She cooed and leaned back because she didn't want to push Santana's comfort level since they were in a public place. "This is the best date."

Santana felt her whole body heat up. "Yeah it is." She whispered taking Brittany's hand and lacing their fingers together. They held hands the whole way to the movie theater.

When they walked into the theater that their movie was playing in, they were surprised to see so many people.

"Come on." Brittany said nodding up the stairs. She led them to the top row and off to the left side where there was no one sitting.

"I'm not sure about these seats…maybe we should move a little lower?" Santana whispered nervously as she sat down.

With the exception of a few groups, the theater was mostly full of couples for the romantic comedy, and she was afraid that people would get suspicious of them going to the top row that was known to be the make out area.

"Relax." Brittany said with a warm smile. "Look around, these seats were in the most open area. No one will think anything of it."

Santana looked around the room again, and when she realized that Brittany was right and that nobody was looking at them, or was even interested in them, she relaxed a little bit and nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry." She sighed. She felt bad for questioning Brittany.

"It's okay." Brittany said. "I'm not upset. I'm so happy."

Santana's frown morphed into a knowing smile and nodded. "I'm happy too." She whispered.

"Awesome." Brittany chirped. "Popcorn?" She said playfully changing the subject and holding up the bag for Santana.

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle and reached in to take a few kernels. "I shouldn't be eating this. Coach is going to take one look at me tomorrow and know that I haven't been sticking to her diet this summer."

Brittany raised an incredulous eyebrow and looked Santana up and down. "You look amazing, like I can't even think of enough words to describe how beautiful you are, and if your coach can't see that, then she's blind." She said honestly, stating what she knew to be fact.

Santana heart fluttered in her chest and a wave of heat ran up her neck and spread to her cheeks. "Thanks."

"You don't have to thank me for saying the truth."

"Well thank you anyways." Santana said with a shy smile.

Brittany playfully rolled her eyes. "You're welcome."

A few moments later, the lights lowered and the previews and commercials came on. As she did last time, Brittany lifted the armrest between them and leaned into Santana's side. "Can I hold your hand?" She whispered as she lightly trailed her finger over Santana's hand.

Santana turned her head to look at Brittany and she nodded. As Brittany smiled and laced their fingers together, keeping their hands on the seat in between them so they were out of sight of others, Santana felt a pang of guilt course through her that Brittany felt the need do that. Before they started dating, Brittany never would have asked, she would have just taken her hand, as she had done countless times since they met. In fact, the last time they went to the movies, Brittany put her arm around Santana without a second thought, but since she was being respectful of her wishes to keep things between them in public, she made sure to ask.

Santana was beginning to hate that she was not able to be more open with Brittany around other people. She wanted to be able to kiss her without looking around first or just hold her hand in public without it being in a dark room, or under a napkin, but no matter how much she wanted to do those things, she wasn't ready. She still couldn't handle the idea of people treating them differently or talking about them just because they were together.

Brittany seemed to sense where her thoughts were and she leaned in, kissing Santana on her cheek beside her ear, so it would just look like she was whispering to her if anyone noticed. "Don't think about it so hard, honey. It's okay."

Santana turned her head a little and looked at Brittany staring back at her with the most honest expression on her face and she felt her heart swell, as well as tears threatening to prick her eyes. "I just feel bad that I can't…I want to, but I-" she fumbled with her words and she felt as if she was ruining things.

Brittany tightened her grip on Santana's hand, rubbing it with her thumb, and leaned in to kiss the same spot on her cheek, letting it linger this time before she whispered, "Please don't feel bad. I'm having the best time with you tonight. I couldn't have asked for a better first date."

"Yeah?" Santana asked feeling overcome with emotion and tears now forming in her eyes.

"Yes. I promise."

"Okay." Santana sighed in relief, relaxing a little

"Now, let's get our cuddle on." Brittany said in her best Santana impression, kissing Santana's cheek one more time before scooting a little closer.

Santana couldn't help but to let out a little giggle and she relaxed pressing into Brittany's body.

-()-()-()-()-

When they got home from their date, they went into the house to find Maribel sitting in the living room watching the news.

"Did you girls have fun?" She asked looking over to them standing in the foyer.

Brittany and Santana glanced at each other with a knowing smile.

"Yeah." They said at the same time and Brittany was quick to yell, "Jinx!"

"Ugh, you always win at that!" Santana pretended to huff.

"Mm-hmm." Brittany said with a triumphant smirk.

Maribel laughed at them. "Okay girls. Go get ready for bed. You have camp early in the morning, so don't stay up all night."

"Okay Mama." Santana said. "Night."

"G'night." Brittany said with a little wave.

"Night girls. Sweet dreams." Maribel said.

They went upstairs and as soon as they approached their bedrooms, Brittany took Santana by the hand and pulled her into her darkened room, closing the door with her foot before she cupped Santana's cheeks and kissed her long, and deep. Santana whimpered against Brittany's lips as she wrapped her hands around Brittany's hips, pulling their bodies flush.

When they finally parted from the kiss that they couldn't have while they were out, Brittany rested their foreheads together and they just breathed each other in for a minute or so.

"Tonight was the best night of my life." Brittany cooed leaning back and smiling at Santana. The only light in the room was from the nightlight that Brittany kept in her room, but it was enough for Santana to see the sincerity in her face.

"Mine too." Santana said, her emotions starting to bubble again. "I just wish I could be more open with you when we're around other people."

"Honey I want that too, but I told you I don't want to rush us to come out. We'll be okay until you're ready to tell people."

"I don't like hiding my feelings for you. I wish I was ready, but I'm not, and I'm so sorry for that. You're so great, and I want everyone to know that I…that I l-love you." She said, confessing her love for Brittany for the first time as two tears rolled down her cheeks.

Brittany heart burst in her chest at hearing Santana finally say that she loved her. She had not said, "I love you" to Santana since the night they confessed their feelings for each other two weeks ago. Santana knew that she loved her, so she didn't feel the need to say it again until Santana worked out her own feelings, because she didn't want it to seem like she was pushing her.

"I love you too." Brittany said, her voice cracking with emotion as well and she leaned in to kiss Santana again. When they parted, Brittany rubbed Santana's tears away with her thumbs. "I love you." She said again, because she could.

Santana let out a teary laugh and she nodded. "I love you too. I love you so much."

Brittany smiled widely, hearing Santana say it again. "Let's get ready for bed. I want to cuddle and kiss until I fall asleep."

Santana sighed contently. "That sounds like a great idea."

"Go get changed, and I'll meet you in the bathroom."

Santana nodded and pecked Brittany on her lips one more time before she left to go to her own room to change into her pajamas.

They met in the bathroom a few minutes later, and quickly washed their faces and brushed their teeth before they went into Santana's room. The slid into bed, sharing kiss after kiss until they finally fell asleep wrapped up in each other's arms.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Hey all, I'm back from vacation, and I hope you liked this cute little chapter. Thank you for reading, and please, if you have a moment, let me know what you thought of the chapter!

As always, my beta **naynay1963** is awesome, and manages to beta for me even when she has so much going on.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Brittany was standing in front of her mirror on the first day of school, putting her hair into a ponytail when Santana came into the room and sat on her bed.

"You look nice." Santana said with a smile.

"Thanks." Brittany said looking at her through the mirror. "And you know I love it when you wear that uniform."

Santana chuckled. "You better, because you're going to see me in this thing at school every day for the rest of the year."

Brittany giggled as well. "I don't get why you have to wear your uniform to school every day. At my old school, the cheerleaders only wore their uniforms on game day."

"Because Sue wants her Cheerios to stand out. It's a status symbol at McKinley."

"I mean, I get that, but doesn't it get boring wearing the exact same thing every day?"

"Yeah, a little, but it also makes it easy. I don't have to put any thought into what I'm going to wear. I already know."

"That's true. You don't even want to know how long I debated on what I was going to wear today, and I'm still not sure about this outfit."

She was wearing a pair of jeans and a flowy, but cute yellow top.

Santana stood up from the bed, wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist from behind, and rested her chin on her shoulder. "I think you look beautiful."

Brittany smiled shyly and rested her hands on Santana's arms. "It doesn't make my baby bump look too big?"

"Britt, your baby bump is tiny. Compared to most people you just look like you had a big breakfast. It's so adorable." Santana said gently moving her hands over her belly. She loved touching her belly.

Brittany sighed. "I know. I'm just nervous. I feel like people are going to see me and all they're going to notice is that I'm pregnant, and they're just going to make fun of me."

"Britt, look at me." Santana said, and Brittany turned around in her arms. "I'm not going to say that that isn't going to happen, because I'm sure there's going to be some asshole that makes fun of the fact that you're pregnant, but I want you to remember that what they say or think doesn't matter. You are an amazing person, and this baby," she said moving her hands to touch Brittany's belly again, "is a blessing. If I see or hear anyone talking bad about you, I'll tear into them and let them know what I think of them. They'll wish they didn't say anything about you because I will not play that game with you, or the baby."

Brittany giggled. "You're like a protective mama bear. It's cute."

Santana wasn't sure why, but hearing Brittany say that made her stomach flip a little and she got a tingling feeling in her chest. "Well if anyone messes with my girl or her cub, you best believe Snixx is going to make an appearance."

Brittany smiled and leaned down, placing a soft kiss to Santana's lips. When they pulled apart, Britany nuzzled their noses. "Thanks, San. I feel a little better."

"Good." Santana said. "So you ready for breakfast?"

"God yes." Brittany sighed. "I'm starving."

Santana chuckled releasing Brittany from her hold. "Maybe you should make sure to keep a snack in your bag, just in case you need one."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I might need more than one." Brittany said. At fifteen weeks pregnant, she felt as if all she did was eat.

-()-()-()-()-

They drove separately to school because Sue had not been on board with having another assistant, and Santana had practice after school. Santana was still upset with Sue over that. It wasn't so much that she didn't want Brittany as an assistant, that was a long shot to begin with, but what made her mad was how she turned her down. Santana nearly lost her mind when Sue said, _"What in the world do I want with a pregnant assistant that is obviously too stupid to keep her legs closed, or use birth control._ " Santana did everything she could not to go into a rage in Sue office that day as she defended Brittany. The only reason that she didn't quit the squad right then was because she didn't want to have to tell Brittany the reason she quit. She was sure that that would hurt her, so she gritted her teeth and balled her fists as she stormed out of Sue office.

"I'm kinda bummed that we only have English together." Brittany said as they walked up to their lockers. "Seventh period is forever away."

"Yeah, it sucks." Santana said opening her new locker that thankfully, after some negotiating with the secretary in the principal's office, was right beside Brittany's.

They were so used to spending most of the day together that they were not looking forward to having to spend it apart. Seventh period was the last class of the day, so it was going to be an adjustment for them for sure.

"But we can still see each other at free period, and lunch, and in-between classes." Santana offered.

"True. I'm definitely glad about that." Brittany said with a smile after opening her own locker. She leaned over making it look as if she was looking into Santana's empty locker as she hooked her pinky around Santana's and whispered, "I wish I could kiss you right now."

Santana felt her cheeks heat up and she looked around them to make sure no one was next to them before she answered. It was still early, so there weren't that many people, and the few people that were in the hallway weren't paying them any attention. "I wish I could kiss you too."

"I guess I'm just going to have to give you extra kisses tonight at home." Brittany said winking.

Santana let out a little whimper as her blush spread down her neck. She was about respond, but before she could, Quinn called their names, and she jumped in surprise, cursing under her breath from the suddenness of someone invading their moment.

"It's okay." Brittany whispered and turned in the direction they heard Quinn, but she didn't let go of Santana's pinky.

"Hey ladies!" Quinn and Mike said at the same time as they came up to them.

"Hey." Brittany said with a smile, but Santana didn't say anything. She was still trying to calm herself.

"What's wrong with you?" Quinn asked Santana.

"Nothing, I'm just tired." She lied, which was believable. She was never known to be a morning person.

"It's no wonder with as much as Sue's had you guys practice. I've hardly seen Quinn." Mike said with a little pout.

"You could have come to practice with me." Quinn said. "Brittany was there every day for a few hours."

"Um, no. I love you, but I try to avoid Sue like the plague. There was no way I was sitting in the stands with her ranting into her megaphone." Mike said. "Plus I had weight conditioning for football."

"I guess." Quinn said waving her hand. "So are you ready for your first day?" She asked Brittany.

"I think so. Santana and I only have seventh period together, but she's going to walk me to my classes to show me where they are."

"What's your schedule?" Mike asked.

Brittany pulled her schedule out of her pocket, opening the folded paper for Mike and Quinn to see.

"Oh, we have second period history together with Mr. Shue." Mike said. "You'll like him. He's nice."

"And we have fifth period together." Quinn said. "That's good. I was hoping I'd have Physics with someone I liked. They always make you pair up with a partner, and I did not want to get stuck with someone I can't stand."

"Awesome." Brittany chirped.

She was glad that she already had friends in some of her classes. She knew most of the Cheerios, and a handful of the guys from the football team, but she would consider them more acquaintances than friends, but that would have been better than nothing, because she was concerned that she'd have classes where she didn't know anyone.

"Santana, don't forget that we have to meet Sue in the gym before first period." Quinn reminded and Santana rolled her eyes.

"I know. I just don't understand why she couldn't just talk to the squad at practice; you know when we're supposed to be there." She said with a huff. After what she said about Brittany a few weeks ago, Santana didn't want to spend any more time with Sue than she had to.

"Who knows?" Quinn said with a shrug. She didn't know what Sue wanted to talk about.

"Fine. I'll walk Brittany to her class and I'll meet you there."

"Oh hey, Santana, I meant to ask, have you heard from Marcus? Is everything okay?" Mike asked. "I tried to call him a few times, but I didn't get him."

"Yeah, he's okay. I've only talked to him a couple of times since he left. He's trying to adjust to being in Florida, so his mom suggested that he try to distance himself from his life in Ohio for a while, kinda like a clean slate thing, so if you don't hear from him, that's probably why."

"Oh?" Mike said with a little frown. He and Marcus were pretty good friends so he was bummed that he wasn't there anymore. "I guess that's a good idea."

"I'm sure he'll call you back soon." Quinn said with a little smile and took Mike's hand as he nodded. "Okay, well I'm off to see the dragon." She said rolling her eyes. "See ya, Brittany."

"See ya." Mike said with a smile.

"Bye." Brittany said with a little wave. When they were out of hearing distance, she turned her attention back to Santana. "Are you okay? You totally looked like you had a heart attack."

"Yeah." Santana said with a sigh and looked around to see that they were alone before she continued. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting them to just pop up out of nowhere like that when we were talking about us kissing."

Brittany wanted to take Santana's hand and lace their fingers together, because she knew that comforted her, but she knew that she couldn't, so she opted to tighten her hold on her pinky. "Honey. It's fine. They weren't even that close. They didn't hear anything."

"I know; I'm sorry." Santana apologized again.

"Would it really be that bad if they heard us? It's Quinn and Mike. They'd be fine with us dating."

Santana shifted uncomfortably and she pulled her pinky away from Brittany's. She took a notebook out of her bag and looked into her locker. "They _might_ be okay with it, but we don't know for sure." She said with a sigh, putting the notebook into her locker, and she visibly deflated as she looked at Brittany again. "Britt, I'm trying, I really am. I want to be able to do everything with you that every other couple here does. I wanna kiss you when I feel the urge or hold your hand as we walk to class. I love you so much and I want to tell people you're my girlfriend… but I'm just not ready for anyone else to know yet. You haven't been here. I've seen Kurt get more slushies in the face or thrown into a dumpster because he's gay. I'm just barely able to accept myself and my feelings for you. I can't deal with other people's acceptance or not right now."

Brittany sighed and stepped a little closer to her, but she made sure not to touch her. "Santana, I love you too. I wasn't trying to rush you or convince you to tell them. I'm okay with waiting until whenever you're ready. I've told you that so many times. I just meant that as they're our friends and I didn't think they would have cared if they accidentally overheard us."

Santana felt tears prick at her eyes, and she looked down as she nodded because she knew if she had to look at Brittany's sad and concerned face for much longer, she was going to start crying for sure, and she didn't need that, especially not when she had to meet Sue and the rest of the squad.

"Is it okay to hug you?" Brittany asked, because she thought a hug was innocent enough, but right now, she wasn't sure what was going to set Santana off, so she thought it better to ask.

Santana let out a strained sigh, but she nodded. She needed to feel Brittany close, and a hug wasn't suspicious. She saw girls hugging all the time in the hallway. When Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana, the hall was a little busier than it had been, so she turned them so Santana's was facing the lockers. That way no one could see that she was emotional. Brittany had plenty of practice at being stoic around other people, so she didn't mind them seeing her.

"I'm sorry." Santana whispered again as she tightened her hold on Brittany. She took a few deep, calming breaths as she forced her tears away.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize." Brittany said and rubbed her back. "I love you."

"I love you too. You believe me right?" Santana said, because she hated herself every time she had to tell Brittany that she didn't want anyone to know about them. She knew that it hurt her, even if she said that she was okay with waiting.

"Of course, I do." Brittany said pulling back and gave her a warm smile. "I know you love me."

"Okay great." Santana said sighing in relief and she pulled back from Brittany.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." Santana nodded.

"Good." Brittany said with a little smile. "So do you wanna walk me to my class? I know you have to meet Sue."

Santana rolled her eyes. She'd rather spend her time with Brittany than listening to whatever nonsense Sue was sure to be spouting. "Yeah." She said and closed her locker.

Brittany closed her locker as well and she hooked her pinky around Santana's. She figured if Santana didn't want to her to do that she would pull back, but thankfully, she didn't.

Santana pointed to where things were for Brittany as they walked through the halls and when they got to her classroom, Santana unhooked her pinky from Brittany's

"So my first period is just across the hall and three doors down." Santana said pointing to her classroom. "I'll be by after to get you."

"I can't wait." Brittany said playfully and with a wide smile.

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle. "Okay. Have fun."

"Umm, I'm pretty sure there is nothing fun about math." Brittany said scrunching her face.

"That's true." Santana said.

"I'll see you in a bit." Brittany said and pulled Santana in for a quick hug.

"See ya." Santana whispered as she pulled out of the embrace.

Brittany watched Santana walk away for a few moments before she went into the empty classroom and picked a seat at a table towards the back. She played with her phone for a little while as people came into the room. She was taken from her game when out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone set their bag on the table and sit beside her.

Brittany turned to see who it was, and she saw that it was a girl.

"Hey." The girl smiled. "You must be new here, because I've never seen you before."

Brittany returned the smile and nodded. "I moved to Lima this summer. My name's Brittany. Brittany Pierce."

"I'm Mercedes Jones; it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too."

"So how do you like Lima?"

"It's great." Brittany chirped and Mercedes cranked a curious eyebrow.

"Girl, it's not that great." She said with a chuckle.

"Well it's better than where I used to live." Brittany said with a shrug.

"Okay, fair enough." Mercedes said and pulled a folder out of her bag. She opened it, taking a white flyer with a gold star boarder out of the pocket and handed it to Brittany. "Glee Club is looking for some new members and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to join. We only have five members right now, so we're looking for at least seven more so we can qualify to compete at sectionals."

"Oh?" Brittany said, taking the flyer and reading it. "Umm…it sounds like fun, but I don't know if I can join."

"Why not?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm…" She hesitated for a second, "I'm almost four months pregnant, and I'm not sure they would let me."

Mercedes' eyes snapped down to look at Brittany's stomach, clearly surprised to hear that. Brittany's nerves returned as Mercedes eyed her baby bump, and when she turned her eyes to look at her again, she was expecting the worse.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that, but I can't see it being a problem. If you wanna join, Mr. Shue will let you."

"Are you sure?" Brittany asked, mentally relieved that Mercedes didn't freak out over her pregnancy. "The flyer says there's dancing and I won't be able to dance for too much longer."

Mercedes chuckled. "It says dancing, but it's mostly just swaying. We don't have any anyone that can tackle a big dance number, so Mr. Shue keeps it simple."

With that information, Brittany started to get excited. "Really?"

"Yeah. If you wanna join, don't let your pregnancy hold you back. We'd be happy to have you. We're meeting in the choir room today for rehearsal during free period and after school if you decide that you want to swing by and check it out."

"Awesome." Brittany said bouncing a little in her seat. "I wonder if Santana would want to join too."

"Santana Lopez?" Mercedes said with a little laugh. "Girl you're crazy."

"Umm, no I'm not." Brittany said confused. She wasn't sure why Mercedes responded like that.

"Santana Lopez, one of McKinley's top cheerleaders is not going to be caught dead anywhere near anything as 'lame' as Glee Club."

"But she loves to sing. She sings along to the radio all the time. She has a beautiful voice."

That caught Mercedes' attention. "Wait a minute, you know Santana?"

"Yeah, we live together."

Mercedes lifted her eyes in surprise. "Are you related?"

"No." Brittany said with a chuckle. "She's my…" She paused because she almost slipped and said 'girlfriend', "she's my best friend."

"Oooohhhh?" Mercedes drawled. "And you think she would want to join Glee?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I'll ask her. Maybe Quinn and Mike will want to join too."

Mercedes' eyebrows shot up again and then she chuckled shaking her head in amusement. "If you can get them to join, then that would be great, but don't be surprised if they turn you down. Unfortunately Glee isn't the most popular club, and people like Santana, Quinn, and Mike aren't exactly in a hurry to join."

"We'll see." Brittany said with a determined smile.

-()-()-()-()-

That afternoon when they came home from school, Maribel called out to them to tell them that she was in the kitchen. "How was your first day?" She asked turning away from the stove when they came into the room.

"Great!" Brittany chirped at the same time that Santana said, "Fine."

"Guess what?" Brittany said, bouncing on her toes.

"What?" Maribel asked with a little chuckle.

"We joined Glee Club!" Brittany said and Santana rolled her eyes.

"Really?" Maribel asked surprised, mostly because Santana joined a club other than the Cheerios.

"Mm-hmm." Brittany said. "My friend Mercedes, who's in my first and third periods told me about it. It looks like a lot of fun, and Mr. Shue said that my pregnancy isn't going to be a problem."

"That's great honey." Maribel said with a wide smile. She was happy to see that Brittany was able to participate in a club that she wanted to without her pregnancy being an issue. "I'm sure you two will love it."

"I just joined because Brittany asked me to." Santana said sitting down at the table. "It's practically social suicide to join Glee."

When Brittany came up to her after first period, so excited that she had been invited to join a club, she asked Santana to join with her, and there was no way she could burst her bubble and turn her down, especially not when she pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly against her as she whispered, _"Pleeeese, San. This is something we can do together since I can't be a Cheerio and it won't be as much fun for me without you there."_

"Santana, don't be like that. You have such a beautiful voice and I know you love to sing." Maribel said.

"I didn't think they were that bad." Brittany said sitting beside her and Santana raised an eyebrow. "Okay Rachel is totally annoying. She talks way too much and most of the time it's about herself and how she thinks she's so much more talented than the rest of us, but despite that, I liked them. Plus, I got Mike to join, and he got Quinn to join, and he said he was going to talk to some of the guys on the football team to see if they'd like to join too, so you already have some friends other than me."

"Okay, yes, I do love to sing, and if anyone but you two were to ask me, I would deny that I think that it'll probably be a lot of fun, but trust me, Quinn and Mike being in the club isn't what's keeping me there." Santana said with playful eye roll.

Brittany smiled and winked.

"I can't wait to see some of your performances." Maribel said with a smile.

"Hopefully we get enough people to join so we can compete." Brittany said with a little smile.

"We'll see." Santana said. "I don't know how many football players Mike can talk into Glee Club."

"I don't know. He's pretty smart." Brittany said optimistically. "He got Quinn to join didn't he?"

Santana chuckled and nodded. "Okay, that's true."

"I'm glad you two seemed to have a good first day." Maribel said. "I spoke with your guidance counselor, Miss Pillsbury today. She called to talk to me about a few things."

"Why?" Santana asked. That wasn't something she had been expecting.

"Well, first, she suggested that both of you take her SAT prep course. McKinley is doing SAT testing on October 1st, November 12th, and December 3rd, and you have to get your college applications together, so make sure you swing by her office tomorrow to sign up for both."

Santana groaned because she was not looking forward to spending that much time with Miss Pillsbury, but she knew that her mother was not going to give on that. They would have to go.

"I don't think college is in my future." Brittany said sadly and both Maribel and Santana scrunched their eyebrows in confusion.

"Britt, of course it is." Santana said thinking that Brittany was putting down her intelligence again.

"I won't be able to afford go to school and take care of a baby at the same time. I'm going to have to find a job soon. I don't even know if I'm going to finish high school. I might have to get a GED." Brittany said flatly voicing a concern that had been in the back of her mind since she found out she was pregnant.

So far in her pregnancy, she had been able to focus on the good, and put most of her fears and concerns about her pending motherhood on the back burner because she was living with Santana and Maribel. They had made everything so easy for her, but it was something that she wasn't going to be able to keep out of the way for much longer. Her life was drastically going to change in a few months, whether she wanted it to or not.

Santana's heart sank and she frowned at what Brittany was saying. Maribel shook her head and turned a knob on the stove to turn down what she was cooking before she went to sit beside Brittany.

"Honey," Maribel sighed, "you are going to finish school. That's the other thing Miss Pillsbury called me about. She said that since you are due at the end of February, you can start the semester normally, and then when the baby comes, you can take some time off to recover, and then go to night school to catch up. They work at a faster pace in night school, so once you catch up; you can go back to your normal classes for the rest of the semester."

"But what about the baby? Who is going to watch it while I'm at school? I can't afford daycare right now. And how am I going to feed it and buy clothes and diapers…and what about getting a place to stay; because we aren't going to be able to stay here forever." Brittany reasoned shaking her head as the full force of her situation finally hit her. "It was stupid to think that I could be in Glee. That's just a waste of time. I should just get a part time job after school, and when I turn eighteen I can drop out and go full time."

Santana's eyes widened when she realized that Brittany was really considering dropping out of school. She was about to jump in and say something, but her mother beat her to it.

"Brittany, you don't have to do that. I'm perfectly capable of supporting you and the baby-"

"But you shouldn't have to do that." Brittany yelped cutting in, and she was so overwhelmed with emotion that she had tears forming in her eyes. "You've already helped us so much; I don't want to take advantage of you. You shouldn't have to take care of us, I should…I just don't know how I'm going to do that." She said and a tear rolled down each cheek.

"Oh, Britt." Santana said softly, and pulled Brittany into a hug. "It's okay." She whispered. "It's all going to be okay. I promise."

Brittany practically melted into Santana and held her tightly, almost as if she was afraid that she would disappear on her if she let go. Santana felt Brittany's stress, and she wanted to tell her how much she loved her, but with her mother sitting there she couldn't say it, so she settled for showing her by holding her close, and placing a few soft, but secret kisses on her shoulder.

When they pulled back from the embrace, Santana wiped her tears away with her thumbs. "Britt, everything is going to be okay. We'll figure it all out." She said, her hands still cupping Brittany's cheeks.

Brittany just stared into Santana eyes, and when she asked if she believed her, Brittany couldn't help but to see how much Santana believed that everything would be all right, and she nodded, whispering, "Yes," because she knew Santana wouldn't lie to her, especially not about this. She loved the baby almost as she did. Her love was so genuine and Brittany didn't doubt that, because her face would light up when they talked about the baby.

Santana nodded as well when Brittany said she believed her and without hesitating, she leaned forward and kissed Brittany's cheek because she could see that she needed some extra comfort from her and she couldn't let Brittany sit in distress if she could help it. Brittany was surprised by the kiss, but she smiled because she appreciated it. Santana returned the smile, staring at Brittany for a few more seconds before her eyes flitted over to her mother, who was just watching them.

Santana's cheeks heated up and she glanced back at Brittany as she backed out of her personal space before she was tempted to do more than kiss her on the check. She wanted to kiss Brittany's lips so badly, but she knew she had to keep her head until they were alone. She wasn't ready to tell her mother the true nature of their relationship, but she knew that her mother knew they were close, so if she had to, a kiss on the cheek could be easily explained.

Thankfully, Maribel didn't comment or even react to the kiss.

"I'm sorry I freaked out a little there." Brittany said a moment later with a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair. "I'm just overwhelmed with all of this. It's a lot and I have no idea what to do."

Maribel reached across and put her hand on top of Brittany's. "Brittany, I love that you have a drive to take care of yourself and the baby. That's a great quality to have, but you don't have to quit school to do it, and you don't have to do it all on your own. Please don't feel as if you are taking advantage of me or burdening me. I know I don't have to support you or the baby, but I _want_ to, because we're family. I love you as if you were my own. I would do the same thing for Santana if she were pregnant, because I would want her to have the very best opportunities in life that she can, and I want that for you too."

Brittany felt a wave of happiness wash over her. Maribel couldn't replace her mother's memory in her heart, but she was as good as another mother, and she loved her just as much. "I love you too."

Maribel smiled at that and she continued. "Honey, why do you think you don't have a job now? It's because I want you to enjoy what's left of your childhood. You should be in school, hanging out with your friends, and singing in Glee Club, and when the baby comes along a lot of that will change, it has to, but you finishing high school and going to college afterwards isn't. You are going to need an education so one day you can get a good job to support yourself and the baby. I don't want to see you struggle your whole life in low paying dead-end jobs. You and the baby deserve better than that. I'll watch the baby when I'm off and you're in school, and I'm sure Santana will help babysit while you're in night school."

"Yeah, Britt. I can't wait to spend time with the baby." Santana said with a wide smile.

"See you already have two live in babysitters who can't wait to get their hands on the little one." Maribel said with a little chuckle, and Brittany chuckled as well. "And for the times that all three of us are busy with work and school, there is an employee daycare at the hospital that is very reasonably priced, well with in my budget, and offers later than normal hours."

"That all sounds great. Thank you so much." Brittany said appreciatively with a smile and she started to relax. She felt lucky to have people that really cared about her. She didn't mind help; she just didn't want to be a burden on anyone.

"You're welcome. As for college, Lima only has a community college. It may not seem glamorous, or the college dream, but it's a pretty good school, and the best part about it is that it's here. Of course, if you want to go to another school elsewhere, I can't stop you, but if you decide to go to school in Lima, you can continue to live here, and I can still help you with the baby. Even if you only go there for a year or two to get your core classes and then transfer to another school later on, it will still be a big help financially and it will offer some stability for the baby."

"Up until a few minutes ago, I didn't think that I was going to finish high school, so going to Lima Community actually sounds amazing." Brittany said. She wasn't hung up on the fact that it was a community college and not a university. If she could still get an education while giving her child the best life possible, she was not going to complain.

"You don't have to make a decision right now. You both still have time to decide on a school, but you should talk to Miss Pillsbury about your options." Maribel suggested.

"Yeah, totally." Brittany beamed. She loved that her future had more opportunity than she originally thought it would. Things were looking brighter and she couldn't be happier.

"Yeah, totally." Santana echoed. She had a lot more to think about than she did before as well.

She had always dreamed about escaping Lima and Ohio as soon as she could, and going to a school in an amazing city, such as New York, or L.A. She had dreams for a life that only included herself, but for the first time in a long time, as she watched Brittany chat with her mother, she was reevaluating those dreams.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : And there you have it! They're moving right along. Thanks for reading. I hope you all liked this chapter. If you have time, please let me know your thoughts.

 **Naynay1963** , as always, thanks for beta-ing!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Shhhh!" Santana hushed as she and her mother tiptoed down the hallway towards Brittany's room on the morning of October 7th.

"Don't you 'shhhh', me. I'm your mother." Maribel whispered, playfully smacking Santana on her arm.

"You're going to wake her."

"Isn't that the point?" Maribel asked, purposely poking at Santana.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you're not supposed to wake her before we get _in_ the room."

Maribel quietly chuckled at how serious Santana was being. "Okay, Mija." She said reaching for the doorknob since Santana's hands were full. "You ready?"

"Mm-hmm." Santana nodded with a wide smile.

Maribel opened the door to the room, and they stepped in, slightly lighting up the dim room with the candles.

"Happy birthday to you!" They sang loud enough to wake Brittany, but not too loud to startle her.

Brittany stirred as soon as she heard the singing. She opened her eyes, looking at them, and when she realized they were surprising her for her birthday, she sat up, grinning from ear to ear. When they finished singing, Santana held the cake in front of Brittany.

"Make a wish, Britt."

Brittany took a second to look over the large round cake with white icing that had eighteen candles circling around the edges, and in the center, it said, _"Happy 18_ _th_ _Birthday Brittany"_ written in neat cursive with blue icing. She closed her eyes and blew out all the candles.

Santana and Maribel cheered as the room darkened. There was some light coming through the window, but since it was still early in the morning, it wasn't much, so Maribel reached across to turn on the bedside lamp.

"You guys are the best!" Brittany cooed looking up at them. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Santana and Maribel said at the same time.

"There's more too." Santana said with a knowing smile.

"Really?" Brittany chirped bouncing a little in her bed.

"Mm-hmm." Maribel confirmed. "A special breakfast and presents."

"Awesome!" Brittany said. "Do I get to have some cake too?"

"Of course." Maribel said. "But after you see all the food we're making, you might not have any room for cake."

Brittany's smile widened. "We'll see. I always have room for cake."

"Well then get up and get ready for school. When you come down stairs, breakfast should be ready." Maribel said, taking the cake from Santana's hands.

"Okay." Brittany said flipping the blanket back, eager to get ready.

"I'll be down in a few minutes. I've gotta change into my uniform." Santana said.

"Alright." Maribel said leaving the room.

Brittany stood up and Santana put her hands on Brittany's belly and kneeled down. "Good morning little one!" Santana cooed. Now that Brittany was nineteen weeks pregnant, the baby was able to hear, so Santana had made it a point every day that week to address the baby directly, because she wanted the baby to know her voice too. "It's your mommy's birthday. It would be an awesome present from you if you moved for her today, okay?"

Brittany smiled, her heart filling with so much love and joy as she watched Santana talk to her stomach. She hoped it worked because she was eager to finally feel the baby. The ob/gyn had told her at her sixteen-week appointment that she might start to feel the baby kick soon, but since it was her first pregnancy, it could be closer to her twenty-fifth week before she felt it.

Santana kissed Brittany's belly over her shirt before she stood up and Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's back. "Thank you for my surprise. Was it your idea?"

"Mm-hmm." Santana said wrapping her arms around her. "But it didn't take much to convince Mom either. We wanted to make your birthday really special."

"You're so sweet." Brittany said, leaning down and placing a soft kiss to her forehead. She would have kissed her on the lips, but Santana was getting a cold, and she didn't want to get sick as well. When she pulled back, Brittany fake pouted. "I kinda feel bad though. You planned this big surprise and I didn't do anything like this for your birthday."

Santana's eighteenth birthday had been a few weeks prior on September 18th and it had been surprisingly low key, considering it was such a big birthday. The day before her birthday was a Saturday, and Puck had offered to throw her a huge party, but Santana turned him down. A few months ago, she would have let him, even if she didn't really like his parties, but now Santana was not interested, especially not after what happened to Brittany the last time. So instead, they went out with some friends, mostly the glee kids, to the movies and the Lima Bean. Then on Sunday for her actual birthday, they went out to lunch with Maribel, and afterwards they went for a walk together, just the two of them, in the park, where Brittany gave her a silver necklace with a heart pendant.

Brittany had secretly worked extra chores to earn the money it would take to buy the necklace, because while she received an allowance every month from Maribel, it was more expensive than what she would get that month and she didn't want to completely deplete what little bit she had in her savings.

"Britt, don't feel bad. My birthday was perfect. I love my necklace." Santana said touching it. The only time she had taken it off was when she was in the shower. "And I really loved having some alone time that night. I don't think I've ever gotten that many kisses." She said shyly, her cheeks heat up at the memory of their epic make out session.

"Okay." Brittany said with a smile, remembering the night as well. "So what time did you get up this morning to do all this?" She asked looking at the alarm clock beside her bed and seeing that it was a little after six o'clock.

"Four o'clock." Santana said. "We had to make the cake this morning so you wouldn't see it last night. I was afraid you would smell it when it was baking and it would ruin the surprise. We even put off making the bacon until after we woke you because I know you and Little Bit love bacon and I didn't want you getting out of bed before we were ready."

"You're kinda sneaky." Brittany giggled.

"Actually, I'm sneakier than you think." Santana said with a knowing smirk. "I really don't have a cold." She said and Brittany gasped. "I just told you that yesterday so we would have to sleep in separate rooms, because I knew you would notice if I got out of bed and didn't come back."

Brittany gasped again, letting go of Santana. "Santana! You mean I could have had my sweet lady kisses and cuddles last night?"

Santana chuckled. "Yes, but then I wouldn't have been able to surprise you, and you should have seen your face. It was worth missing one night of kisses and cuddles."

"I guess you're right." Brittany said. "I do love surprises."

"You can have a kiss now if you want." Santana said.

Brittany giggled, pulling at Santana's pajama shirt to bring her closer. They both hummed as their lips touched for the first time since the morning before. It was the longest they had gone since they started dating without kissing, which was hard for them, but it was necessary for Santana to accomplish her birthday surprise.

Brittany was quick to deepen the kiss. She let her hands slip under Santana's shirt so she could feel her skin against her own, and wrapped her hands around her hips, pulling Santana against her, but being careful of her belly. Santana let out a little moan, and she practically melted into the heated embrace.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both winded.

"We s-should get ready. If I kiss you much longer I'm not going to be able to stop." Brittany breathed out, still a little dazed, and more than a little turned on.

Santana groaned because she felt the same way. "I don't want to go to school today. I just wanna stay home with you."

"I'd love that, but I don't think your mom will let us. Plus it's Friday. You have to be there for the pep rally and the game."

"Yeah, I know, but I'd still rather skip and hangout with you all day."

"Me too babe." Brittany said and placed a soft, lingering kiss to Santana's lips before reluctantly letting go of her. "I'm excited to see what you guys made for breakfast." She said changing the subject.

Santana chuckled. "There's a lot, so I hope you're hungry."

"I'm always hungry." Brittany said putting her hands on her belly. "This baby loves to eat."

"That's a good thing." Santana cooed. "It means it's healthy."

"That was my birthday wish, that the baby was healthy."

"I think you're going to get your wish." Santana said confidently.

She knew that Brittany worried about the baby. Thankfully, they had never had any indication from the doctor that there was anything wrong with the baby, but she still worried. Santana did as well, but she always tried to sound confident when talking about it around Brittany because she was trying to be a positive light for her.

"I hope you're right." Brittany said.

"Well you're going to the doctor on Monday for the anatomy ultrasound. They said it's a head to toe exam, so you'll know for sure soon."

Brittany smiled widely. "And we get to find out whether it's a boy or girl!" She chirped. They were both really looking forward to that.

"I can't wait." Santana said a smile.

The smell of bacon cooking had finally made its way upstairs and Brittany took in a deep breath. "Okay, we need to shower, because I can smell bacon, and I'm not going to last much longer without eating."

Santana chuckled. "I showered already. I just put my pajamas back on so I wouldn't spill anything on my uniform."

"Okay, I'll meet you downstairs then." Brittany said pecking Santana on her lips before she left the room to get ready for school.

-()-()-()-()-

"I can't believe it, I'm still not hungry!" Brittany marveled to Santana as she met her at their lockers before fourth/free period.

Santana chuckled, because Brittany had surprised her with how much she had eaten at breakfast (not that she had made mention of it though), but they had made all of her favorite foods, so Brittany had a little bit of everything, including a piece of cake.

"That's good." Santana said putting a book into her locker. "Baby must have enjoyed it too."

"Mm-hmm." Brittany nodded, opening her locker.

"So how's your birthday so far?" Santana asked closing her locker.

"Good. All the Glee kids have sent me text messages and the ones that I've seen today have given me a hug. Mercedes brought me a muffin and a crumb cake from the Lima Bean that I'm saving for lunch, Mike and Quinn gave me a gift card to Destination Maternity, and Kurt gave me this." She said pulling a small brown teddy bear with a red scarf tied around its neck out of her bag. "I really think is for the baby, but I'm cool with it anyways."

"It's cute." Santana said with smile. She was happy to see that Brittany was getting gifts from people other than her and her mother.

"It is pretty cute." She said putting the bear in her locker and closing it. "Of course, your gift is my favorite." She said shaking her left wrist with the bracelet that Santana had given her. "I love that it matches your necklace."

Santana smiled and she wanted to lean in and kiss Brittany, but she couldn't in the crowded school hallway, so she hooked her pinky around Brittany's. "I was hoping you would like it."

"I love it. I mean, your mom _almost_ beat you though." She teased, winking at Santana.

Maribel had given her some new clothes, money, and a stuffed unicorn with a rainbow tail that she had seen at the hospital gift shop. Brittany loved all the gifts Maribel had given her, but the unicorn was her favorite.

"Damn it. I knew I should have gone with the unicorn." Santana said playing along.

Brittany chuckled. "Don't worry; the bracelet is my absolute favorite, because you gave it to me."

Santana's smiled widened. She knew how she felt. It felt amazing when Brittany gave her, her necklace.

They stared at each other for a few moments and Santana felt an even bigger need to kiss Brittany. She wasn't sure if she could wait until they got home. "Come on." She said, pulling Brittany's pinky to urge her to follow.

"Where are we going? The choir room is in the other direction." Brittany asked, willingly following.

"You'll see."

Santana led them to the Cheerio locker room. She pulled Brittany inside and closed the door, looking around, opening up toilet and shower stalls, and checking behind all the lockers to make sure that the room was empty before she locked the door and then pulled Brittany behind a row of lockers. She dropped her book bag and pulled Brittany's off too, setting it on the floor.

"San?" Brittany said confused as to what was going on until Santana cupped both of her cheeks and kissed her slowly and deeply.

Brittany whimpered and her knees weakened at the feel of Santana's lips on her own and she immediately wrapped her hands around Santana's hips, pulling her into her, deepening the kiss even more.

They kissed for almost a full minute and a half before they parted.

" _Wow."_ Brittany breathed out, surprised not only by how great the kiss felt, but also that Santana actually kissed her at school.

Up until now, the most affection they had had at school was hugging and pinky holding. Brittany could hardly believe that Santana had not only let her kiss her, but had been the one to initiate it. She didn't care that they were locked in an empty locker room, she was proud of the progress that Santana had made overcoming that hurdle.

Santana's cheeks heated up with the way Brittany was looking at her with so much love and admiration.

"I love you, San." Brittany said, slipping her hand under her cheer top and rubbing her thumbs into her hips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Britt." Santana said softly.

Brittany smiled and leaned down, kissing Santana again, but unfortunately they were interrupted a few moments later by banging on the door and a voice yelling, _"What they hell! Open up!"_

They both jumped, surprised by the suddenness of the intrusion. Brittany was afraid that Santana was going to freak out, but she was surprised again that day by Santana, because she just yelled back, "Hold on a minute!"

" _Santana open the damn door!"_ The voice said, and now that they weren't wrapped up in each other, they both recognized the voice as Quinn's."

"Fucking Quinn." Santana muttered. "Calm your tits, Q, and give us a minute!" She yelled again.

" _Well hurry up!"_

"I guess we have to let her in. She'll probably break down the door soon if we don't." Santana said and she was sad that their moment had ended sooner than she wanted.

Brittany giggled. "You're probably right, but give me one more quick kiss before we let her in. I won't get to kiss you until after the game tonight, and that's forever away."

Santana smiled and leaned in kissing her softly. They both hummed when their lips touched again. As they pulled back, Santana rubbed her lips together. "How's my makeup?"

Brittany ran her thumb under Santana's bottom lip and wiped off a smudge of lip gloss. "It's perfect." She said. "What about me?"

Santana pushed a few strands of hair away from Brittany's face. "You're perfect too."

"What do you want to tell her we were doing in here?"

"We'll just tell her that it was something baby related and you needed some privacy." Santana said with a shrug as she leaned down to pick up both of their bags.

"That should work." Brittany nodded taking her bag.

When they opened the door, Quinn looked pissed and she let out an exasperated sigh. "About damn time! I thought I was going to wet myself." She huffed and quickly pushed past them, never asking what the holdup was.

"You're welcome." Santana called toward Quinn sarcastically.

"Fuck off, Santana!" Quinn yelled just before the sound of a stall door slamming.

Santana chuckled at Quinn as she hooked her pinky around Brittany's and they stepped out of the locker room.

Before they could leave though, Brittany wrapped her arm around Santana, hugging her tightly. "I loved my surprise kisses." She whispered. "I really needed them."

"I did too." Santana whispered and she was proud of her progress as well.

Brittany pulled out of the embrace, but they held pinkies as they walked to the choir room for glee rehearsal.

They had just sat down in the back row, when Brittany's phone started vibrating in her bag. She checked it and saw that it was Maribel. "It's your mom."

Santana scrunched her eyebrows. "I wonder why she's calling."

Brittany shook her head and answered the phone holding it out a little so Santana could listen in. "Hello?"

" _Hey Brittany. I'm glad I caught you. I was going to leave you a message."_

"We're in free period." Brittany said. "What's up?"

" _The ob/gyn's office called to reschedule your appointment. Dr. Kay had something come up on Monday and needs to cancel, but I know you're really excited to find out the sex, and she had another patient cancel on her today, so I rescheduled for this afternoon at four o'clock."_

"Oh?" Brittany said surprised.

" _I know it's last minute, but she's completely booked for the rest of next week. You'd have to wait another week to find out, so I thought since you don't have Glee rehearsal on Fridays, it'd be okay to have it this afternoon. You'll be back in plenty of time to see the game and you'll get to find out the sex three days earlier. It's kinda like an extra birthday gift."_

Brittany was happy about finding out the gender sooner, but she was sad that Santana wouldn't be able to make the appointment. She had cheer practice before the game. It would be the first appointment that Santana would miss and she was bummed that she would not be there when the gender was revealed. She had been just as excited to find out as she had been. She thought about asking Maribel to reschedule the appointment again, but she didn't want to be a pain, so she agreed.

"Yeah that's pretty cool. I'll meet you at Dr. Kay's office in a few hours."

" _Okay, honey. See you soon and happy birthday again!"_

"Thank you." Brittany giggled and hung up the phone. She glanced at Santana. "I'm sorry San. I knew you wanted to be there."

"Don't be sorry, I'm going to be there. I wouldn't miss it." Santana said, and she didn't look bothered by the change in the appointment.

"But what about practice?"

"This is more important." Santana said. "It's a special circumstance, and I would be okay missing one practice. I haven't missed one all season and I could do those routines in my sleep better than some of the other girls on the squad. I'll be back in time for the game so it shouldn't be a problem."

A spark of happiness shot through Brittany at hearing that Santana was going to be at her appointment, and she squealed in excitement as she wrapped her arms around Santana's neck. She wanted to kiss her, but of course, she couldn't with them being in the choir room with other people, so she just held her tightly.

"I'm so happy you're going to be there." Brittany cooed.

"Me too." Santana said with a smile.

-()-()-()-()-

A few hours later Brittany sat in Santana's car playing with her phone as she waited for her. They had driven together to school that day, but Santana had to stop by Sue's office to tell her that she would be missing practice, so Brittany said she'd meet her at the car. She had been so engrossed in her game, that it startled her when Santana opened the driver side door. Before she got in the car though, her phone rang. Santana took her phone out of the small front pocket of her book bag and looked at it before putting it back in her bag as she sat in the driver's seat.

"Who was that?" Brittany asked curiously, when Santana obviously ignored the call.

"Quinn." Santana said. "I'll talk to her later."

"Okay." Brittany chirped as Santana put her bag in the back seat. "Are we all set to go? Sue was fine with you missing practice?"

Santana's jaw tightened before she nodded. "Yep." She said putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car, but her cheery response sounded forced.

"Is everything okay?" Brittany asked as she put on her seatbelt. She could tell that something was bothering her.

Santana's jaw tightened again as she looked in the rearview mirror and she nodded. "Yes, everything is fine. Sue was just running her mouth, being a bitch and ridiculous as usual. It's nothing to even waste time thinking about." She said putting the car in reverse, but before she backed up, she looked at Brittany and gave her a genuine smile. "Are you ready to find out whether you're having a boy or girl?"

Brittany smiled widely and nodded as she bounced a little in the seat. "Yes! I can't wait!"

"Me either." Santana said and backed out of the parking spot.

When they pulled into the parking lot at the doctor's office, they saw Maribel sitting in her car waiting for them. They walked up to her, and as she got out of the car, she looked surprised to see Santana.

"Hey girls." Maribel said giving them both a hug. "Mija, I wasn't sure if you were going to make it. Don't you have practice?"

"I did, but I wanted to be here, and this is more important anyways." Santana said with a shrug.

"Alright. We'll let's go see what you're having." Maribel said motioning towards the building.

They didn't have to sit in the waiting room for too long before they were called back. After Brittany was weighed and her vitals were taken, they waited a few more minutes before Dr. Kay came into the room.

Brittany shivered as Dr. Kay put the cold gel on her stomach. She glanced up to see Santana staring back at her in anticipation. They were both on pins and needles waiting to see what the doctor had to say about the baby's health and development, and of course, what she was having. Brittany flashed her a smile and laced their fingers together. Santana didn't say anything, but she returned the smile and lightly squeezed her hand.

Dr. Kay moved the wand around Brittany's lower abdomen, bringing the baby on to the screen.

"It's so much bigger now." Brittany said as she looked at the baby that was now almost four weeks bigger than when she last saw it. She was always so amazed by how quickly the baby was growing.

"You'll be surprised how fast kids grow. You have to enjoy them while you can." Dr. Kay said. "They aren't babies for long."

"Mm-hmm." Maribel agreed. "It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was pregnant with Santana and she's is a woman now." She said a little sentimental and wrapped her arm around Santana, giving her a quick hug.

"So are you ready to see everything?" Dr. Kay asked.

"Yes." Brittany nodded and a nervousness wash over her, because within a matter of minutes she could be told that there was something wrong with her baby.

"Alright." Dr. Kay said with a smile. "Let's check out the brain first."

For the next forty minutes, they stared at the screen intently as Dr. Kay examined everything on the baby's body checking for abnormalities, and with every positive report, Brittany's nervousness lessened.

"It all looks great." Dr. Kay said with a wide smile. "I didn't see any abnormalities. The baby is measuring right on track at nineteen weeks and five days, weighs ten and a half ounces, and the heartbeat is at one hundred and forty-two beats per minute, which is excellent. You're little one is developing perfectly fine."

Brittany sighed in relief, and for the first time since the scan started, she loosened her grip on Santana's hand. In her nervousness, she hadn't realized that she was holding it so tightly. Santana didn't mind though, she was nervous about the outcome too.

"Great." Brittany breathed out and she smiled.

"That's good to hear." Maribel said and patted Brittany's arm to help comfort her. She had seen her nervousness spike.

"Yeah." Santana said with a little nod and smile. She was relieved as well.

"Now, we just need the little one to stop being shy and move its legs a little so I can see if it a boy or girl." Dr. Kay said moving the wand around Brittany's lower abdomen.

Brittany and Santana watched the screen and after what felt like hours, but in reality was only about a minute, Santana whispered, "Come on little one."

Brittany turned her attention from the screen and looked up at Santana. Seeing the anticipation in her face, it melted her heart a little more to see Santana so interested in the baby.

A few moments later, Dr. Kay, stopped moving the wand. "I got it." She said and captured a picture.

Maribel studied the screen and she smiled widely when she saw what Brittany was having.

"You wanna tell her?" Dr. Kay asked.

Maribel nodded and she looked down at Brittany, still smiling. "It's a boy."

Before going into the appointment, Brittany had secretly been hoping for a girl, but after hearing and seeing that the baby was healthy, she was just so happy, she didn't care that it wasn't a girl. "A boy?" She said, tears forming in her eyes and she looked at the screen trying to decipher how they came to that conclusion.

"Mm-hmm." Dr. Kay said and pointed to the little area between his legs that stuck out a bit.

Brittany looked at the screen for a few more moments before she looked up at Santana and she saw that she had tears forming in her eyes too.

"You have a healthy baby boy, Britt." Santana said with so much admiration and she wanted to lean down and kiss Brittany so badly. She actually leaned forward a bit, but then she heard her mother say something to Dr. Kay and it brought her back to reality. So instead, she leaned down and gave Brittany a hug.

"Thank you for being here with me." Brittany said.

"You're welcome." Santana said. "I'm glad I was here too."

"I love you." Brittany whispered, so quietly, even Santana was barely able to hear it.

"I love you too." Santana whispered and since she was fairly certain that her mother and Dr. Kay weren't paying attention to them as they were speaking, she turned her head a little and placed a soft kiss to Brittany's cheek.

Brittany smiled and she turned her head, quickly kissing Santana's cheek as well.

When the appointment was over, Dr. Kay left the room, as usual, to give them a few minutes to themselves.

"I can't wait to go shopping for nursery furniture and clothes. They're just so adorable." Maribel chirped excitedly as Brittany buttoned up her pants. "It's been so long since I had a reason to buy baby stuff."

Brittany smiled widely as she swung her legs over the edge of the exam table. "Baby clothes and toys are the cutest." She said.

"Maybe we could go to Babies-R-Us this weekend and look around to get some ideas." Maribel suggested.

"We could go now if you guys want." Santana suggested.

Brittany and Maribel both scrunched their eyes in confusion. "What about the game?" Brittany asked looking up at the clock on the wall, noticing it was almost five o'clock. The game would be starting at seven, but she knew that Santana had to be there before then to help decorate the stadium.

"I'm…I'm not a Cheerio anymore." Santana said shrugging.

"What?!" Both Maribel and Brittany said at the same time.

"Mija, what's going on?" Maribel asked.

Santana sighed. "I went to tell Sue that I needed to miss practice this one time because Brittany's appointment had been rescheduled and I really wanted to be there for it, and she told me 'no'. Then she said some not nice things about Brittany being pregnant that I won't repeat, which really pissed me off, so I told her that I was going anyways, and she told me if I missed practice she would kick me off the squad. So before she could do it, I quit."

A silence filled the room as Brittany and Maribel processed what Santana had said.

Brittany was the first one to speak after a few moments. "San…" She said softly as she stood up from the exam table and took Santana's hand. "Was that why you looked upset when you got in the car earlier? And why you ignored Quinn's call?"

"Yeah." Santana nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me this then?"

"Because I didn't want to upset you. You were so excited to find out what you were having, I didn't want anything to take away from that before you found out."

Brittany pulled Santana in for a hug. "I loved that you were here, but I would've understood if you missed the appointment. I didn't want you to quit the Cheerios because of me."

"But I wanted to be here. It was important to me…and I quit because Sue is a bitch." Santana said and pulled out of the embrace, but she still held onto Brittany's hand. "I wanted to quit months ago during cheer camp. I didn't tell you this before because I didn't want it to hurt your feelings, but I asked her on the first day of camp if maybe you could be a second assistant, and she really made me mad when she told me that she didn't need 'a pregnant assistant that was too stupid to use birth control'."

Brittany frowned when she heard that.

"The only reason I didn't quit then was because I didn't want to tell you why I quit, and I couldn't lie to you either, so I just sucked it up and dealt with her. But when she told me that I should be more concerned about making practice on time than about you or the baby, and she said a few more things about you that I didn't like, I couldn't take it anymore, so I quit. I kinda went off on her too, defending you, because you aren't stupid. She doesn't know how great you are."

Brittany's heart swelled in her chest and a wave of mixed emotion wash over her. She was sad that Sue had said some mean things about her, but she was so happy that Santana picked her and the baby over Sue and the Cheerios "You're pretty great too." She said, tears threatening to prick her eyes, and she pulled Santana in for another hug.

When they pulled apart, Santana looked at her mother and she looked upset. "Are you okay, Mama?"

"I'm fine Mija, I'm just a little mad about what Coach Sylvester had to say about Brittany, but I'm also concerned about what quitting the Cheerios is going to do to your college applications. You need extracurricular activities on your applications to show that you are well rounded."

"I know, but I still have Glee." Santana said. "Plus I can still put that I was a varsity cheerleader for three years on the applications. That time counts. If they ask why I quit, I can just tell them that my interest changed or I wanted to try something new."

"I guess having a variety of interest will be appealing on a college application."

"So you're okay that I quit?" Santana asked just to be sure. Her mother had paid a lot of money for her to be a Cheerio, and she doubted that she would get that money back.

Maribel nodded. "I want you to be happy, and if being a Cheerio wasn't fun for you anymore, then I'm okay with you quitting. I'm also proud that you stood up for Brittany. No matter her opinion, Couch Sylvester shouldn't have said those things about a student to another student. I'll be calling the school on Monday to have a talk with the principal."

"I doubt it will do any good." Santana said. "Sue's a bitch and nothing you could say is going to change her."

"Well I can at least bring it to the principal's attention, and if you did go off on her like you said you did, they may try to punish you in some way, but I'm not going to let that happen."

"Okay." Santana said with a shrug. She didn't care if she had gotten in trouble for what she said to Sue. If she had to do it all over again, she wouldn't change a thing, because she did not appreciate her insulting Brittany.

"So I guess we're going to look at baby stuff." Maribel said opening the door to the room.

Santana and Brittany both giggled and nodded as they left the room, pinkies linked.

"Umm, can we go home first so I can change out of this uniform?" Santana said. "I would have changed earlier, but I didn't have any other clothes with me."

"Sure, Mija." Maribel said. "We should go out to dinner to celebrate Brittany's birthday and the news about the baby."

"Food sounds great." Brittany said with a wide smile. "Little man wants to eat."

When they got home, Santana ran upstairs and quickly changed her clothes before coming down stairs in a pair of skinny jeans and a black sweater. They were just about to leave again when Maribel's phone rang.

She checked to see who it was and then she set her purse on the table by the front door. "You girls go into the living room for a few minutes. I have to take this call."

"Okay?" Santana said with her eyebrow scrunched as she watched her mother go upstairs. "That was weird." She said as they went to sit on the couch.

"Maybe it was a work call and she couldn't discuss a patient in front of us." Brittany offered.

"Yeah, maybe. Or it's the school calling to tell her about my fight with Sue."

"I'm sure if it's the school, your mom will take care of it."

"We'll see when she comes back." Santana said with a small shrug. She wasn't that worried about getting in trouble.

"I'm sorry that you had to quit the Cheerios, even if Sue said some really mean things about me, but I'm really happy you were with me today." Brittany said, taking Santana's hand and rubbing the top with her thumb.

"Me too, Britt." Santana said with a smile.

"I bet it's going to be weird not wearing a Cheerio uniform to school every day and not being at the football game on Friday night?"

"It'll take some getting used to, especially now that I actually have to put some thought into my wardrobe, _but_ Friday nights just opened up for dates."

"That _is_ a plus." Brittany cooed. "Although, on the downside, now that you don't have access to the Cheerio locker room, we're going to have to find another place at school that we can sneak in kisses."

Santana chuckled. "Yeah, that's the worst part about all of this, but I'm happy I quit. Being a Cheerio and making captain used to be so important to me, but it isn't anymore. _You_ are way more important to me than some stupid high school cheer squad that in less than a year I won't care about anymore. I'm always going to care about you more."

Brittany beamed and she looked down shyly. Santana looked behind her to make sure that her mother wasn't there, and then she cupped Brittany's cheeks, placing a soft lingering kiss to her lips. She wanted to kiss her so many times that day, especially while they were in the doctor's office, but couldn't. Now that she was in a place that she could, she wasn't going to waste another second.

Brittany was surprised that Santana had kissed her in the living room with her mother home, but as with everything else that day, Santana was full of surprises, and she couldn't help but to melt into the embrace.

When they parted, Santana rested their foreheads together and put her hands on Brittany's belly. "You're having a boy Britt." She sighed contently closing her eyes and rubbing her belly with her thumbs.

Brittany smiled and nodded as she put her hands on top of Santana's arms, closing her eyes as well. "And he's healthy. I got my birthday wish."

"I can't wait to meet him."

"Me too." Brittany said. "I don't know why, but seeing him today and knowing that it's a boy, just makes it so much more real for me, if that's even possible."

"I can understand that." Santana said and she placed another soft kiss to her lips. "You're going to be a great mom."

"I hope so."

"You will be; I know it, and I'm going to do everything I can to help you with him. I promise."

Brittany smiled again. "I love you." She said and leaned in, kissing Santana, and hoping that she could feel how much she loved and appreciated her.

"I love you too, Britt." Santana said. "I love you so much."

The kissed again, but unfortunately their moment was cut short when they heard Maribel talking at the top of the stairs.

"Later." Brittany promised with a whisper and a wink as she pulled away.

Santana nodded, but on the inside, she was so disappointed because she didn't want the kiss to end. She wished for the courage to be more open with Brittany, at the very least in front of her mother in the privacy of their own home. She hated hiding, and she hated lying about who Brittany really was to her, but still, after months of progress in accepting herself and her love for Brittany, she was still scared to come out.

"Okay, hold on." They heard Maribel say as she walked down the stairs. A moment later, she came into the room with her hand over the receiver of the phone so whomever was on the other side couldn't hear what she was saying. "Brittany, your father is on the phone."

At that, Santana and Brittany's eyes widened in surprise, because that was the last thing they expected her to say. Brittany hadn't heard from her father since she saw him at her guardianship hearing at the end of June.

"You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to," Maribel said, "but he sounds sober, and he wants to wish you a happy birthday."

"Umm, yeah, I'll talk to him." Brittany said she reached out for the phone with one hand, and Santana's hand with the other.

Santana laced their fingers together and gave her an encouraging look.

"H-hi Dad." Brittany said with a shaky voice.

" _Hi Britt."_ Pierce said, and he sounded unsure. _"Happy Birthday, kiddo. Well, I guess you aren't a kid anymore are ya? You're eighteen now."_

"Yeah." Brittany said with a nervous chuckle.

" _How's everything going? Have you had a good birthday?"_

"Everything here's good." Brittany said looking at Santana with a soft smile. "Actually it's better than good, it's really great. I have a bunch of friends, I'm in the glee club, and I love it here. I've had the best birthday too. I got a ton of presents, a special birthday breakfast, and I found out today that I'm having a boy and he's healthy and developing normally."

" _That's great! I'm so glad to hear that."_ Pierce chirped, but Brittany could also hear the sadness in his voice.

"How's everything with you? Are you starting to get better?" Brittany asked and she was so nervous about the answer. She had tried so hard to help him before, but with no luck, and it took her a long time to realize that it didn't matter what she did to help him, he was going to have to want to get better before he could.

There was a pause on the line, and then Pierce sighed. _"I'm…trying… but it's hard and I've had some setbacks."_ He paused again. " _I want to get better…It's just going to take time. But I'm glad that you are with people that love you and are taking really good care of you."_

"They are. Santana and Maribel have been great. They've become family to me." Brittany said honestly. She didn't want to hurt her dad's feelings by saying that, because she loved him, but she needed him to know that she was okay and had a stable family life again.

" _That's…that's good to hear sweetie. I'm happy for you."_ Pierce said and his voice was heavy, almost as if he was going to cry. _"Maybe one day I'll be a part of that family again, but I need to get myself together before I can see you or my grandson."_

"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Brittany said.

She wanted her dad to get better and be a part of her life again, but she only wanted that if he was sober. She loved him, and she knew he loved her, but she couldn't go back to that kind of environment. It was an emotional roller coaster, and it was too much to handle. She didn't want to expose her baby to that either. She had to do what was best for them.

Pierce sniffled and then cleared his throat. _"I, uh, have a birthday card that I was going to send, but I wanted to make sure it was alright to send it. Mrs. Lopez said it would be okay as long as you are okay with it."_

"Yeah. I'd like that."

" _I put two checks in there too. One is for you as a birthday gift, and the other is for the baby."_

"Thanks Dad. That'll be a big help."

Pierce cleared his throat again. _"So, uh, Mrs. Lopez tells me that you all are going out to dinner for your birthday. I don't want to hold you up, so I'll let you go. It was really good hearing your voice Brittany."_

"It was good talking to you too Dad." Brittany said. "I love you and I hope you get better."

" _I love you too, sweetie."_ Pierce said, his voice was strained, and Brittany could tell he was trying not to cry while on the phone with her. _"Bye, Britt."_

"Bye, Dad." Brittany said softly and then disconnected the call.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked nervously and she rubbed the top of her hand with her thumb.

"Yeah." Brittany said honestly with a little nod as she handed Maribel her cell phone. "Surprisingly, I'm doing okay." She said, and she thought she would be more emotional after talking to her father for the first time in months, but she wasn't. "I mean I'm sad that he is still struggling, and I want him to get better so he can be in my life again. I love him, and I care about him, but I'm finally happy. I'm happy with the way my life is going now, without him."

Santana breathed a sigh of relief because she had been afraid that talking to her father was going to upset Brittany, and she didn't want anything to put a damper on what had been such a good day for her.

"Do you still want to go out?" Maribel asked.

"Yes." Brittany said with a confident nod. "I'm good."

"Alright then." Maribel said with a clap of her hands. "Let's go eat and look at baby stuff!"

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : And another chapter on the books! Thank you for reading. So much happened in this chapter, and there is definitely more to come. There's a lot of big moments coming in the next few chapters, so keep an eye out for the next update. I hope you all like the story so far! If you get a chance, please let me know your thoughts. I always love seeing your feedback :-)

As always, a huge and grateful thank you is owed to **naynay1963** for beta-ing and catching my silly typos!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Brittany and Santana were walking to their lockers two weeks later when they saw a group of Cheerios walking from the other direction towards them. As soon as they saw Santana and Brittany, they stopped talking, looked the other way until they passed, and then they started talking again. Santana rolled her eyes and Brittany just hooked her pinky around Santana's as a way to tell her that she loved her.

Sue had banned any Cheerio communication with Santana in an effort to ostracize her completely for quitting. With the exception of Quinn, Santana wasn't close with any of the girls on the squad, so while it bothered her a little that they wouldn't talk or even look at her for fear that Sue would think they were communicating telepathically, it didn't hurt her that much, because they didn't mean much to her in the first place. Quinn was another story though. Quinn was one of her best friends and when she wouldn't talk to her, or Brittany, it hurt Santana more than she thought it would. She tried to pretend that it didn't bother her, but it did.

Brittany didn't try to pretend that it didn't bother her. She was so upset. She felt incredibly guilty. She thought that if it weren't for her, this wouldn't be happening. Santana was quick to quell those thoughts though, because Brittany was her best friend and girlfriend, and she loved her with everything she had. She would rather have just her in her life than a bunch of people that didn't really care about her.

A small relief came when Quinn gave up and ended her silent treatment after the first week. She sat beside Santana and Brittany in the choir room and apologized for how she had treated them. She had been a little upset when she found out that Santana quit, but she wasn't upset enough that she didn't want to talk to them. Even if she didn't like it, she understood Santana's reasoning for quitting, but Sue had put so much pressure on her about being the captain and needing to set an example for the rest of squad that she felt she had no other choice but to do as she said.

Santana was quick to forgive Quinn. She understood the kind of pressure and twisted mind games that Sue used on her Cheerios, and to be honest, she wasn't sure if the roles were reversed that she wouldn't have done the same thing. Regardless, she was happy that Quinn finally came around, but she didn't make a big deal about it, because she didn't want anyone to know that she was hurt by Quinn ignoring her.

Brittany on the other hand wasn't ready to just forgive and forget, and she was indifferent towards Quinn when she saw her. She was upset that she had hurt Santana by actually going along with Sue's ridiculous order, but she softened when Mike told her that Sue had been making Quinn's life a living hell during practice by pushing her to the point of near exhaustion by giving her extra drills to do as punishment for going against her. After that, Brittany let it go because she figured Quinn had suffered enough. If Santana was happy with her apology and still considered her a friend, then she could do the same thing.

When they got to their lockers, they put in their combinations, and as they opened them, they yelped as dirt flew out of their lockers, covering their clothes, and piling at their feet.

"Fucking Sue." Santana growled as she wiped her clothes, brushing the dirt to the floor. "Are you okay?"

Brittany nodded as she wiped her clothes too. "Yeah, I'm fine." She grumbled. "I just got this outfit and now it's covered in dirt."

"At least it wasn't a slushy." Santana said. "That stain doesn't come out. My white and black striped top is ruined.

Dave Karofsky had given her, her first and only slushy in the face a few days ago, and Santana suspected that it was Sue's doing, because even though she wasn't a cheerleader anymore, she could still make people cower with just a look. No one, not even any of the Cheerios were brave enough to slushy her.

The one big eye opening surprise out of the whole thing was the glee club. The group of 'losers and misfits' that Santana had looked down upon for years because of their position on the high school social ladder had shown themselves to be good friends to her. She never would have thought that she would consider them friends, but she did.

"Do you wanna go to the Lima Bean with everyone?" Santana asked. It was Friday, and the glee club, with the exception of Quinn and the football players always met at the Lima Bean after school. "We can go home and change and meet them there; then afterwards we can do something together?"

"Actually, is it okay if we just go home? I'm not feeling up to going out tonight." Brittany said. "I'm tired, my back hurts, and my feet are kinda bothering me too. I really just wanna go home, get in my pajamas, and veg out with you for the rest of the night."

Santana smiled and nodded. "Okay, sure."

They brushed the remaining dirt out of their lockers onto the pile on the floor, put away their books that they wouldn't need over the weekend, and then they walked to Brittany's car.

"Are you okay to drive, or do you want me to drive?" Santana offered when she saw Brittany yawn.

"I think I'm okay, but if you want to drive, I won't argue with you." She said and held out her keys for Santana to take.

Brittany laced her fingers with Santana's as they pulled out of the parking lot and they drove the short distance home in a comfortable silence. When they got home, Maribel was at work, and they found a note on the counter with some money for them to order a couple of pizzas for dinner.

"You want the usual?" Santana asked.

"Mm-hmm. Extra ham and pineapple please!" Brittany chirped and Santana called a local pizza place that served New York style pizza and ordered two pizzas, a supreme, and a Hawaiian with extra ham and pineapple for Brittany.

They changed into their pajamas, turned on a movie, and sat on the couch as they waited for the pizza to arrive.

"Here, put your feet up." Santana said patting her lap.

"Thanks." Brittany said with a smile as she leaned back on a pillow against the arm of the couch and put her bare feet in Santana's lap. She let out a little moan when Santana started to massage her feet and lower legs. "That feels good."

"How's your back?" Santana asked.

"It still kinda hurts, but it feels a little better now that I'm not standing or carrying my book bag."

"If you want, I'll give you a back rub later."

"You are so good to me." Brittany smiled and sat up, kissing Santana softly. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"I'm lucky to have you too." Santana said. "I'm so happy."

"So you're not upset I made us bail on date night?"

"What are you talking about?" Santana chuckled. "We have pizza and movies and foot rubs. Sounds like a date to me."

"So it's like a home date?"

"Mm-hmm, they're they best." Santana said with a smile and Brittany beamed, leaning in to kiss her again.

They watched TV and Santana rubbed Brittany's feet and legs until the pizza arrived. Brittany paid the driver as Santana went to wash her hands and to get some paper plates and drinks. They ate in the living room so they could continue watching their movie.

Brittany was about to take a second slice of pizza out of the box when all of sudden she jumped and let out a little yelp.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked concerned. She had jumped a little too because she wasn't expecting Brittany to move so suddenly.

Brittany looked down and put her hands on her belly. "I think I just felt the baby." She said with a wide smile.

"Really?" Santana asked perking up and she looked down at Brittany's hands.

"There it is again." Brittany chirped. "It feels like something is tickling me, but on the inside." She said looking up at Santana. "You wanna feel?"

"Yeah." Santana nodded with a smile and scooted a little closer to Brittany. She couldn't wait to feel the baby.

Brittany took her hand and put it on the spot that she had felt the movement. They waited almost a minute before Brittany said, "There, did you feel that? It felt a little stronger that time."

Santana pouted and shook her head. "No, I didn't feel it."

"Well hold on, maybe it will happen again." Brittany said.

They spent the next fifteen minutes moving Santana's hand around Brittany's stomach, and every time Brittany felt a tickle, Santana didn't feel anything.

"It may be too soon for you to feel any movement." Brittany said and kissed Santana's cheek, because she could tell that Santana was disappointed.

"Yeah, maybe." She said flatly.

"I'm sure you'll be able to feel him soon."

"Yeah." Santana nodded and took her hand away from Brittany's stomach. She looked up at Brittany, and despite her disappointment, she gave her a genuine smile. "I'm so glad that you finally got to feel him."

"Me too." Brittany beamed. "It felt… amazing."

"I'm sure it did." Santana said and leaned in, kissing Brittany softly.

Brittany hummed as their lips touched and she leaned into her to deepen the kiss. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany's back to bring her even closer to her and it didn't take long for the kiss to become heated.

When Brittany slipped her hands under Santana's shirt and gripped her hips, Santana didn't even flinch. Brittany had been doing that for weeks. She loved the feel of her hands on her bare skin, but when she slowly moved her hands up her sides, and the back of her fingers brushed against the bottom of her bare breasts, Santana jumped from the unexpected sensation, breaking the kiss and pulling away from Brittany.

Santana's sudden movement surprised Brittany and she let out a little laugh. "Are you okay?"

"I, uh-y-yeah…I just wasn't expecting- you surprised me." Santana stumbled through her response.

At first, when Santana jumped Brittany thought that maybe she had found a tickle spot, but when she realized that Santana seemed distressed, the smile fell from her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" She started to say, but Santana cut her off.

"You don't have to apologize, it's…I'm sorry. It was me." Santana rambled and she put her hand on her chest because her heart was racing.

An awkward silence settled between them for a few moments as Brittany watched Santana's eyes flit around the room, avoiding contact with her.

"Honey, look at me please." Brittany pleaded and took Santana's hand into her own. When Santana finally looked at her, she lightly squeezed her hand. "Did you not like it when I touched you?" She asked cautiously.

She had not touched Santana's breasts intentionally, it just happened as she was running her hands up her sides, but with Santana's reaction, she was worried that Santana didn't like it and she had overstepped.

"Yes…I mean no…" Santana sighed because she was a little frazzled and she didn't know what she was saying. She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts before she said, "I mean, yes, I liked it." She said softly as a blush covered her cheeks and ran down her neck, making her whole body feel hot.

"And when we kiss and make out, does it turn you on and make you wanna do more than kiss me?"

Santana swallowed hard and she nodded. "Yes." She said in a low voice.

She was very turned on by Brittany. She had sexual urges towards her more than she would care to admit. She didn't have to kiss or touch her to feel turned on by her. Sometimes all Brittany had to do is look at her and she felt that pull in her lower abdomen.

"Then why are you so panicked right now?" Brittany asked trying to understand what Santana was feeling so she could either help her through it, or make sure she didn't do anything in the future that may cause this kind of reaction again.

"I—I just wasn't expecting you to touch my boobs. We haven't done that yet, and it kinda scared me." Santana said finding the courage to be completely honest.

She felt incredibly embarrassed about the reason she reacted the way she did, and it was hard for her to talk about it, even with Brittany. Up until this point, they had not taken the physical level of their relationship to the point where they touched intimate areas of their bodies. Their relationship, from the day they met, had always had a physical aspect to it. As friends, they touched each other more than they did other people, and as girlfriends, they had some sort of physical contact all the time. With the exception of having to limit their contact when they were around other people, when they were alone they kissed or touched whenever they felt like it, which was often, and of course, during heated make out sessions, unintentional brushing against intimate areas happened from time to time, but it had always been over their clothes.

Brittany scooted a little closer to Santana and took her other hand, so she was holding both her hands. "What about it scares you."

"Everything. I've only ever been with guys. I don't know how to be with a girl sexually." Santana said. She had an idea of some things they could do, but having an idea and putting it into practice was two different things.

Brittany couldn't help but to crack a little smile. "I don't either, but I'm sure we can figure it out together."

Santana just looked at Brittany. Her mind was going in a million different directions, but before she could say anything, Brittany brought her hands to her lips and kissed her knuckles.

"I'm a little scared too." Brittany admitted. "I don't have a lot of experience with sex. I've only been with one person before; I had no idea what I was doing, and he didn't seem that experienced either, but I ended up pregnant, so we must have done something right-"

"Brittany, that's not funny." Santana said very seriously cutting her off.

She did not like talking about him at all. She loved Brittany, and she loved the baby so much, but as far as she was concerned, the guy who got Brittany pregnant and then left her without a second thought was nothing. He didn't exist in her world.

"I'm not trying to be funny." Brittany said and she rubbed the tops of Santana's hands with her thumbs. "I just meant that it's new, and we're both going to be lost at first, but we'll figure out what works for us. I want to be with you, Santana. It's been hard keeping my hands to myself, because I love you so much and I just want to touch and kiss every part of you, but I don't want to rush you into anything you're not ready for."

"I want be with you too. I do." Santana said. She wanted to be intimate with Brittany for a while, and though her performance anxiety had been holding her back, she knew she could overcome that with Brittany's help; but Brittany's pregnancy was the biggest thing she was unsure about. "I just…what about the baby? How's that going to work? I'm kinda afraid that I'm going crush him or something. I don't want to hurt him."

Brittany giggled. "I think if we keep pressure off my belly, the baby will be fine.

"Do you know that for sure?" Santana asked and Brittany had to admit she couldn't say that for sure, but it seemed logical.

"There was a chapter about sex during pregnancy in that pregnancy book your mom gave me. I didn't read it though because I was reading the book while we weren't talking a few months ago, and I couldn't bring myself to read a chapter about sex when I thought you were mad at me, but we could look at it and see what it says."

Santana nodded. She was going to need to read that chapter for sure, if for nothing else than for her peace of mind, but she was hoping it would give her some ideas of what was safe to do and what wasn't.

Brittany smiled at the serious look on Santana's face. "Relax, honey." She said and leaned in to place a soft kiss to Santana's lips. "I don't think it's that complicated."

"Well I don't know that." Santana said. "I've never had sex with a pregnant woman before. I don't know the rules."

Brittany couldn't help but to chuckle at that.

"Come on, Britt, this isn't funny." Santana said with a pout. "I'm really freaked out about it."

"I know you are honey, and I love you for it." Brittany said kissing the pout away from her lips. "We'll figure it out together. I promise."

"Okay." Santana said with a sigh. "But, I'm still going to need to read that book."

-()-()-()-()-

The next morning when Santana woke up, she saw that she had slept in to almost eleven o'clock. Brittany had given her the pregnancy book when they went to bed, and together they read the sex chapter, which had been helpful in easing Santana's nervousness about the baby. Her fears about hurting the baby were typical, and even though the book was geared towards hetero couples, she now had a better idea of how to keep the baby safe and Brittany comfortable, especially as her pregnancy progressed.

After reading the chapter, Brittany fell asleep because she was exhausted, but Santana stayed up late, thumbing through the rest of the book and reading a few chapters that interested her.

Santana yawned as she rolled over and she found Brittany sitting in bed beside her, reading.

"Hey." Santana said, her voice cracking, dry from sleep.

"Hey." Brittany cooed and she leaned down giving Santana a kiss.

"What are you reading?"

"Baby names." Brittany sighed closing the book. She set it on the nightstand and she scooted down in the bed, turning onto her side so she was on Santana's level. "Your mom gave me the book when she gave me the pregnancy book, and it's full of baby name, but so far I haven't found anything I like."

"Well it looked like a thick book, I'm sure you'll find something you like."

"I know; I haven't looked at all of them. I've just been skimming them. It's just that none of the names I've seen so far have interested me. I want something that has meaning, you know?"

Santana nodded and kissed Brittany softly on her lips. "I get it, it's a big decision."

"Do you have any name suggestions?"

"Um, not at the moment." Santana said unprepared for that question. She was still trying to wake up. "But if I think of anything, I'll tell you.

"Good. I was hoping that you would help me name him." Brittany said.

"Really?" Santana asked with a small smile.

"Yeah." Brittany said taking Santana's hand. "You've been with me through everything with this pregnancy. I couldn't give him a name that you didn't like."

Santana felt her heart swell and she kissed Brittany again. "I would love to help you name him."

"Awesome." Brittany cooed and she kissed Santana again, and this time the kiss lingered between them.

When they parted, they just stared at each other smiling for a few moments before they spoke.

"So about last night…" Brittany started to say.

"What about it?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're feeling better about things now that you read the book."

Santana nodded. "I do feel a little better."

"I do too." Brittany said. She definitely learned a few things as well. "Soooo…um, if you wanna touch me you can."

Santana's eyes widened and they nearly bugged out of her head. "What, like now?" She yelped and her heart rate immediately spiked.

Brittany giggled and squeezed Santana's hand. "No, I didn't mean like right this second. Your mom is up, but I meant that for future reference, you know when we're making out and stuff. I'd really like you to, but only when you're ready."

Santana swallowed and nodded. "I'd like that too. You can touch me too." She said.

"Are you sure?" Brittany asked. "We can wait."

"No!" Santana blurted and Brittany bit her lip to keep from giggling at her little outburst. "I mean, we don't have to wait." The idea of touching Brittany and being intimate with her still frightened Santana, because it was a big deal to her, but after their talk from the night before, and after reading the book, she didn't want to wait anymore.

"Okay." Brittany said with a smile and leaned in kissing Santana softly. "Let's just take things slow, and see where it goes."

-()-()-()-()-

A week later Brittany walked into the living room holding an extra-large bowl filled with candy. It was two days before Halloween, but since the holiday fell on a Monday, Lima was doing trick-or-treating on Saturday night.

"I feel so grown up giving out candy on Halloween. I've never done that before." Brittany said as she set the bowl on the coffee table and sat beside Santana on the couch.

"I'm actually surprised you didn't have us in coordinating costumes and out trick-or-treating." She said with a chuckle because she could just see Brittany wanting to do that, and of course, she would have went along with it if it made her happy.

"The thought did cross my mind, but I was a little afraid that someone might play a prank on us, and I didn't want to take the chance with the baby."

"Yeah, good idea." Santana said.

Her mother was working an overnight shift because Halloween was one of the busiest nights of the year for the ER, and most of the time, it was alcohol related or because of a prank gone wrong. Santana would go full-on Snixx on anyone that messed with Brittany, even if it was a harmless prank, and she was not in the mood to deal with that.

"I'm happy with just giving out candy and watching 'Hocus Pocus'." Brittany cooed, leaning into Santana's side. "Plus, staying in means that we can cuddle while we wait on kids to come by, and you know how much I love getting our cuddle on."

"That's definitely a much better idea than trick-or-treating." Santana said putting her arm around Brittany's shoulder and kissing her on her temple. "Although, I have to say that you would have been cute in a costume."

Brittany giggled. "I am in a costume… well at least the baby is."

She was wearing black leggings and an orange t-shirt with black markings at the bottom that made her belly look like a jack-o-lantern. Her stomach was still a tad bit smaller than what was considered average at almost twenty-three weeks pregnant, but not by much, so it filled out the shirt nicely to make it look like a nice round pumpkin.

"Okay that's true and that shirt is cute." Santana said. As soon as she saw it, she had to point it out to Brittany.

"I like your shirt, even if it is kinda mean." Brittany said looking at Santana's black t-shirt that said, "Zombies Eat Brains!" and then right below it, it said, "(You're Safe)"

"Hey you wanted me to get a Halloween themed shirt, so I went with the most honest for the people of Lima. I keep it real."

Brittany giggled and kissed Santana on her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Britt." Santana said and she leaned in, kissing her softly.

A few moments later, they were taken from their sweet embrace when the doorbell rang with their first trick-or-treaters of the night.

"Showtime!" Brittany chirped pecking Santana's lips again before picking up the bowl and Santana followed her to the door to open it.

"Trick-or-Treat!" Two little boys around four years old, one dressed as Batman and the other dressed as Superman called as they held out their jack-o-lantern candy buckets.

As soon as Brittany saw them, she smiled widely, because it dawned on her that in a few years she was going to have a little boy that might like superheroes and look just as cute as they did in their costumes.

"Santana look! Batman _and_ Superman are here to protect us!" Brittany said dramatically.

The boys just beamed. "I'll protect you." Superman said flexing his 'muscles' and Batman just said shyly, "You're pretty ladies."

Santana, Brittany, and the boys' mothers just chuckled.

"Aww, thank you." Brittany said and put two pieces of candy in each of their buckets.

"What do you say?" One of the mothers asked and the boys both said, "Thank you!" and waved at Santana and Brittany before they turned away.

When they closed the door, Brittany put the bowl on the table beside the door. "They were so cute." Brittany sighed with a little glint in her eye.

Santana smiled, putting her hands on either side of Brittany's belly. "They were cute, but this little guy in here is going to be the cutest little trick-or-treater anyone has ever seen when he's big enough to go out."

Brittany just smiled and wrapped her arms around Santana's neck, pulling her into her and kissing her softly. Santana hummed into the kiss and slid her hands around Brittany's back to bring her even closer to her, while being careful not to put too much pressure on her belly. They kissed sweetly for a few moments, but before they could deepen it, Santana felt a small, very faint push on her stomach and it made her pull away.

"What?" Brittany asked when she saw the shocked look on Santana's face.

"I—I think I just felt the baby." She said looking down at Brittany's belly.

"Oh my god, really San?!" Brittany cheered. "He did just move!"

Santana put her hands on the area that she felt the little push and held them there. "I think so." She said getting really excited. "Maybe he'll move again."

Brittany put her hands on top of Santana's and they only had to wait a few seconds before Santana felt a little push against her left hand.

"I felt that." Santana said excitedly. "I felt him!" She said a little louder that time. Brittany smiled widely, but before she could say anything, they baby moved again, and Santana yelped, "There he is again!" She looked up at Brittany and they stared at each other for a moment before Santana kneeled down. She lifted Brittany shirt and placed several soft kisses to Brittany's bare stomach where she had felt the baby. "I love you little man. Your mommy and I love you so much." She said and kissed the belly again.

When Santana stood up, she had tears welling in her eyes. "I finally felt him Britt."

"I know, honey. I'm so happy." She said wrapping her hands around Santana's hips and kissing her deeply.

Santana retuned the kiss, but the doorbell ringing interrupted them again. They pulled apart and Santana still had tears of joy in her eyes, and two streaks down her cheeks.

"I'll take care of the kids." Brittany whispered. She knew Santana wouldn't want whomever was at the door to see her in an emotional state. "I'll meet you in the living room in a minute."

"Thanks." Santana whispered and quickly kissed Brittany on the lips before she left and sat on the couch. She wiped her face and just stared at her hands until Brittany came back in the room and sat beside her.

"It's pretty awesome feeling him, isn't it?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah." Santana said in wonderment, looking up at Brittany. "He's really in there." She said.

Of course, she knew the baby was inside Brittany, but actually feeling him move, and knowing that he was big enough now that she could feel him made him feel so much more present than seeing him on the sonogram did.

Brittany giggled. "Yeah. He's really there."

Santana just looked at Brittany and her beautiful pregnant belly, and she couldn't help but to feel like she was the most amazing woman in the whole world. "Come here." She said cupping Brittany's cheeks before kissing her in a need to feel her close to her.

The kiss started out slow and sweet, but as it continued, they deepened it, and Brittany pushed back on Santana's shoulders until they were lying beside each other on the couch. It was a bit of a tight fit, but they made it work by tangling their legs together and pressing into each other.

They kissed until Brittany finally broke away from Santana's lips, and trailed a line of kisses down her jaw and her neck as she slipped her hand under her shirt, running her hand up Santana's abdomen and over her left breast. Santana let out a throaty moan as Brittany gently massaged her breast through her bra. She loved it when Brittany touched her like that. After their talk from last week, they had eased into a more physical relationship and she was no longer timid of Brittany touching her intimate areas, or returning the contact, so she slid her hand down Brittany's back, and over the swell of her ass, pushing her hips into Brittany looking for more contact.

Brittany had just pressed her thigh against Santana's center, when the doorbell rang, bringing everything to a frustrating halt.

"Damn it." Santana sighed.

"The kids." Brittany said flatly.

They had been so wrapped up and concerned about each other that nothing else mattered, and they had forgotten that they were going to have tick-or-treaters coming to the door.

"Yeah." Santana sighed resting her forehead against Brittany's. "Fucking Halloween." She grumbled. She wasn't nearly as happy about giving out candy now that it was interrupting their make out.

"I know, but they're just going to keep coming."

Santana sighed again. "I know. Let's go fill them full of sugar. The quicker we get rid of the candy, the quicker we get to be alone."

They were busy for more than an hour, the doorbell constantly ringing as their neighborhood had a reputation in Lima for being one of the best ones for trick-or-treating. At first they were giving out two pieces of candy per kid, but when it wasn't disappearing fast enough for Santana, she just started reaching into the bowl and giving out handfuls.

Around nine o'clock, things started to slow down, and by nine-thirty, they finally reached a lull. Fifteen minutes had gone by without anyone coming to the door, so Santana thought they were done. She wasted no time in picking up where they left off, which Brittany had no problem with, because she was just as frustrated as Santana, if not more so because of her hormones.

When they kissed, it immediately became heated. Their hands roamed each other's bodies and moans of passion filled the living room…until the doorbell rang again.

"Fuck." Santana growled. That was the last straw for her. "That's it. I'm done!" She said getting off the couch and stomping over to the door. She picked up the candy bowl, took a few pieces out that were Brittany's favorite and set them on the table by the door for her. When she opened the door, she saw that it was a couple of middle school aged boys in regular clothes, holding plastic grocery store bags. "Here, take it all." She said, dumping the rest of the candy into their bags, which the boys seemed very happy about.

She didn't stay to listen to them thank her. She closed the door and locked it, before she turned off the porch light, and went into the living room. She turned off the movie that they really had not been watching, and then took Brittany by the hand.

"Come on, let's go upstairs." She said helping Brittany up from the couch.

"Okay." Brittany said with a giggle, because she was all for that plan.

They went into Santana's room, and as soon as Santana closed the door, Brittany kissed her deeply. Santana moaned into the kiss, wrapping her hands around Brittany's hips. They were both so hungry for each other, that their hands couldn't stay still. Brittany was quick to put her hands on Santana's ass, pulling her hips into her, and Santana ran her hands up and down her torso, but she was careful not to touch her breasts. She had learned a few days ago, much to her disappointment, that they were overly sensitive from the pregnancy, and Brittany didn't liked them being touched, especially the nipples.

They kissed in the middle of the room until they needed to stop for air. They stared at each other for a few moments before Brittany put her hands on the bottom of Santana's shirt.

"Can I take this off?" Brittany asked, hoping that she would say yes.

Santana swallowed and searched Brittany's face for a moment before she nodded.

"Are you sure, honey?" Brittany asked just to be sure. She needed to hear Santana say it before she went any further.

"Yes." Santana breathed out, and her eyes were pleading for her to continue. She was so ready to be with Brittany that she was practically shaking in anticipation.

"Okay." Brittany cooed and kissed Santana's lips softly before she lifted her shirt over her head and discarded it on the floor.

She stared at Santana's covered breasts for a few moments, mentally preparing herself to see them for the first time uncovered, because while she had touched them a few times over the past week, she had not seen them yet. Making out and heavy petting had been as far as they had gone as the time had never been right for them to take it to the next level, but it seemed as if tonight might be the night that changed that.

When Santana didn't make a move, Brittany slid her hands down Santana's arms to her hands and put them at the bottom of her shirt, silently asking her to take it off.

Santana felt her cheeks heat up. "Oh, sorry." She said embarrassed. She had been distracted by watching the look of pure excitement on Brittany's face as she looked at her, that she didn't think to remove Brittany's shirt as well.

"It's okay. Don't apologize." Brittany said with smile.

Santana lifted Brittany shirt, pulling it over her head and putting it on the floor with her own.

Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana's back and kissed her as she unhooked her bra and slowly pulled it off her arms. Without breaking the kiss, Santana removed Brittany's bra as well. Their bare stomach's pressed into each other, and Santana moaned from the electrifying feeling of her skin moving against Brittany's.

Santana was the first to break away from the kiss, and she just stared at Brittany's bare torso for the first time. "You're so beautiful, Britt."

"Not as beautiful as you." Brittany said, running her fingers over Santana's taut stomach and looking at it wistfully. "I miss having abs."

She had adjusted to her changing body for the most part, but there was still a part of her that was self-conscious of her growing belly, softening muscles, and increasing weight. She missed being so fit and flexible.

Santana shook her head. "Britt, you are absolutely gorgeous. I loved the way you looked before you started showing, but I don't think you understand what your pregnant body does to me. It's _so_ sexy and it gives me tingles all the time."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Brittany said.

"No, I'm not, I mean that. When I look at you, all I see is the most incredibly beautiful woman in the world. I love every one of your curves." She said slowly trailing a finger down the side of Brittany's hip. "Sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am that you picked me."

Brittany cracked a smile and she pulled Santana into her a little tighter. "I'm lucky that you picked me too."

"Can I show you how much I love you?" Santana said with an unexpected surge of confidence that she didn't know she had.

Truth be told, as much as she wanted to be with Brittany, she was still nervous about their first time. She was in unfamiliar territory when it came to being with a girl sexually, and she was afraid that inexperience would make her a terrible lover and Brittany wouldn't like being with her, but she wanted to show Brittany that she loved her as she was, so she found the strength to push aside that nervousness.

"Yes." Brittany cooed her answer.

Santana smiled, leaning in so the side of her nose was touching Brittany's. "I love you so much." She whispered, before she closed the distance between them, kissing Brittany tenderly.

When they parted a few moments later, Santana put her hands on the top of Brittany's leggings, pulling them and her panties down her long legs. Brittany stepped out of them, kicking them off to the side, and then reached for the button on Santana's jeans, popping it open and pulling the zipper down. Once Santana was rid of the rest of her clothes, she took Brittany by the hand and led her to the bed. Santana flipped the covers back and they slid into bed, laying on their sides facing each other.

Santana scooted closer to Brittany, tangling their legs and carefully pressing their stomachs together. She traced her eyes and hand from Brittany's mid-thigh all the way up her side until right below her right breast before she cupped her cheek and kissed her again. Brittany hummed as their lips touched and slid her hands down the swell of Santana's ass, squeezing it as they kissed.

They kissed slowly and deeply, aching to feel the other's skin against their own as their hands glided over each other's bodies, and stopping to give extra attention to any area that they elicited a whimper or moan.

Santana broke the kiss after a few minutes and started a slow line of kisses down Brittany's jaw to her ear. She sucked and nibbled on the lobe before trailing her tongue along the shell of her ear.

Brittany moaned, her hips pressing harder against Santana looking for more contact as Santana kissed down her neck and her hand slowly slid down her side and over the front of her belly to her lower abdomen. When Santana's lips reached Brittany's collarbone, she nipped lightly at the skin before looking up at Brittany and kissing her softly on her lips.

"Are you okay to lay on your back for a little while?" Santana asked.

One of the positions the pregnancy book recommended was for Brittany to lay on her side, because it meant there was no pressure on her abdomen, and laying on her back could be uncomfortable, but it did say laying on her back for a short period would be okay as long as Santana didn't put her weight on her belly.

"Yeah." Brittany said rolling over.

"Do you want a pillow?" The book also recommended a pillow under Brittany's lower back to help with her comfort.

"No, I'm okay." Brittany said with a little smile.

"If it starts to hurt or becomes uncomfortable at all, just let me know, okay." Santana said.

"Okay." Brittany cooed loving the amount of care Santana was taking with her.

Santana scooted closer, straddling her arms over her and pressing her hands into the bed on either side of Brittany to help support herself so their upper bodies could touch, but without the pressure of her weight pressing into Brittany. She leaned down kissing Brittany's lips again and they both moaned as their breasts touched for the first time.

The kiss lingered between them, becoming needier as the seconds ticked by, until Santana pulled out of the kiss, and started a wet line of kisses down her chin and the front of her neck. When she reached her collarbone, she started on the far right side, pressing soft kisses every few inches all the way to the left side and then back to the middle, pressing a lingering kiss in the hollow of her neck before peppering kisses over her chest above her breasts.

Santana really wanted to touch Brittany's breasts. They were so round, and full, and completely perfect, but she knew that they were very sensitive and she didn't want to hurt her or make her uncomfortable by kneading them with her hands or playing with her nipples, but she thought that she might be able to at least kiss them without it being uncomfortable for Brittany.

"Hey, can I try something?" Santana asked. "I promise to be gentle, but if you don't like it, just tell me to stop."

"Okay." Brittany said running her hand up and down Santana's side. She trusted her completely.

Santana smiled and playfully pecked Brittany on her lips. "Love you." She whispered, nuzzling her nose with Brittany's.

Brittany gripped Santana's hip and kissed her again. "Love you too."

Santana giggled and kissed Brittany lips, then her chin and neck before she placed a few kisses down her upper chest. She paused when she reached her breasts, taking a moment to appreciate them up close as she shifted so she only had to support herself with one hand, and rested her other hand on top of Brittany's hand that was resting on her hip. She leaned down and placed a tentative, soft kiss to the top of her left breast. When Brittany didn't jerk away, as she did when she touched them with her hands a few days ago, she looked up at Brittany to see if she was going to stop her. Brittany just smiled at her and turned her hand to lace their fingers. Brittany's smile gave her more confidence to continue and she kissed the right breast. She lightly traced the tip of her nose over Brittany's breasts to the next spot she wanted to adorn with her lips.

She savored the moment, loving Brittany's little moans as her lips lingered on every new spot that they found. She was careful, making sure not to nip or put any unnecessary pressure on the sensitive mounds, and she actively avoided the immediate area near her nipples to keep it as pleasurable for Brittany as she could.

After a few minutes of aquatinting herself with Brittany's lovely breasts, she placed one last kiss to them before she sat up and shifted to her knees, pushing Brittany's legs further apart and repositioning herself in-between her legs. She put both hands on Brittany's stomach, caressing her bump as she started a slow line of kisses from the top to the bottom.

Brittany squirmed, her breathing getting faster and deeper as she moved down her abdomen. When she felt Santana kiss her at the base of her belly, and right above her aching center, she let out a moan, balling the sheets in her fists in anticipation of Santana touching her where she needed her most.

Santana's next kiss was right above her clit, then in the crease where her legs met her body, and then her inner thigh. It seemed as though that Santana was teasing Brittany because she was kissing and touching everywhere except where she wanted her to go, but Santana wasn't trying to tease her. She was buying herself time to calm down before she went there, because she was so nervous. She was face to face, so to speak, with Brittany's most intimate area, but she was second-guessing herself because she wasn't sure what to do next. She didn't know if she should use her fingers, or her mouth, or both. She really wanted to please Brittany and be a good lover, but she was afraid of doing something wrong.

Thankfully though, before her thoughts could get away from her, Brittany groaned in frustration, and it helped her make a decision. "San, please stop teasing, I can't take it anymore! I need you inside me!"

"Okay, Britt…" She said with a smile, kissing Brittany's thigh one more time. With her mind made up, she leaned forward, being careful not to put any weight on Brittany's stomach, and she pressed one hand into the bed beside Brittany's head and cupped Brittany's core with the other hand. "But you have to kiss me first." She said with a smirk.

Brittany whimpered as she felt Santana put a little more pressure on her center and she buried her hands into Santana's hair, kissing her heatedly. Santana was taken by surprised by the intensity of the kiss, but it stoked the fire that was burning in her own center and she returned the kiss just as vigorously. She ran her fingers thought Brittany's folds, coating them with her wetness and she slowly slipped two fingers inside. Brittany moaned into the kiss and Santana tentatively started to move her fingers back and forth. She had no experience with touching another woman, but she had touched herself, so she used that as a basis of what to do and she curled her fingers as she pulled back, causing Brittany to moan loudly, breaking the kiss, and moving her hands out of her hair to her chest, taking both breasts into her hands. Santana let out a little moan of her own from the feeling of Brittany kneading her breasts, and it spurred her on, moving her hand a little faster.

With each moment that ticked by, and with every moan or cry of ecstasy that left Brittany's lips, Santana's confidence in what she was doing increased, and it didn't take long before she had lost all her inhibitions and she completely lost herself in pleasing Brittany.

She pushed her fingers in and out, winding Brittany up higher and higher until she was wound so tight, she was ready to snap.

"I'm—I'm so c-close." Brittany stuttered letting go of Santana's breasts and gripping on to the sheets so tightly that she her knuckles were white.

Santana felt Brittany inner walls constrict around her fingers, so she leaned back, sacrificing a little momentum as she shimmied down her body. She spread her folds a little more and took her clit into her mouth, sucking and flicking it with her tongue.

"Ugh, fuck!" Brittany cried, her breath becoming more ragged as she tried to hold on a little longer, but as Santana moved her fingers a little faster and sucked a little harder, she couldn't hold on and she tumbled over the edge, falling hard.

She was shaking slightly when Santana stopped her movement and released her clit from between her lips. As she pulled her fingers out, she twitched and let out a whimper. Santana took Brittany's hands into her own, and moved them up near her head as she braced herself against them, placing soft lingering kisses up her belly, over her breasts, and then kissing her lips deeply before she move out from between her legs and laid down beside her on her back.

Brittany rolled over, wrapping her arm around Santana and curling into her side. Santana wrapped her arm around Brittany's shoulder, and played with her hair as she caught her breath.

It took a few minutes for Brittany to recover, but when she was able to move again, she started giggling.

"And you thought you didn't know how to be with a girl." She said with smile, lifting her head so she could look at Santana. "Can I just say you are a freaking _amazing_ lady lover! You completely blew my mind."

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle at Brittany, but she also gave an internal sigh of relief, because to hear Brittany say that she was amazing and not terrible as she had feared, made her feel so much better.

"I was a little lost for a bit." Santana said honestly. "I was just trying to avoid putting weight on your belly and making things up as I went along, hoping that you'd like it."

"I _loved_ it." Brittany cooed and leaned over, kissing Santana. "And it didn't feel like you were lost. It felt…perfect." She said with a content sigh.

Santana felt her heart and ego swell with that assessment.

"Now it's my turn." Brittany drawled. She wasted no time kissing Santana while trailing her hand up her flat abdomen to her breasts.

She kneaded her left breast with her hand for a few moments before she rolled the nipple between her fingers. Santana moaned loudly into Brittany's mouth, wrapping her hand around the back of Brittany's neck and pulling her closer to her.

They kissed for a few more moments before Brittany released Santana's lips with a pop. She leaned down and slowly circled Santana's right nipple with her tongue before she took it between her lips and sucked it into her mouth.

Santana moaned even louder with both of her nipples being played with. She bucked her hips up, unfortunately finding nothing to press them into. She wished that Brittany could lay on top of her. She craved to feel her whole body pressed into her, but she wasn't able to dwell on her wish though because Brittany switched it up, taking Santana's left nipple into her mouth and her right nipple between her fingers, making sure to give each mound equal attention.

Santana squirmed and moaned as Brittany turned her into complete mush just by playing with her breasts. She was sure Brittany could make her come from just that, but Brittany was perceptive when it came to Santana, and she didn't want her to come before she had a chance to explore more of her. She sucked on her nipple one last time, teasing it with her teeth before she pulled away and placed a painfully slow line of wet kisses down Santana's flat stomach.

When she reached her belly button, she circled it twice with her tongue before she trailed her tongue down to the top of her center, stopping just shy of Santana's clit.

"Briiiiiiitttttt!" Santana whined when Brittany pulled away and sat up. "Who's teasing who now?"

"I'm not teasing." Brittany said with a chuckle. "Okay, maybe I was a second ago when I was kissing your stomach, but at this angle it's just a little difficult to go further because I'll have to lay on my stomach."

"Oh…it's okay if you don't go down there." Santana said, feeling her cheeks heat up. She was a little disappointed, but she didn't want it that bad to risk potentially hurting the baby. "Just use your fingers instead."

"I will." From where Brittany was positioned, using her fingers was easily done. "But I want to kiss you there too." She had been looking forward to it. "Here, I have an idea." She said and slid out of bed.

Santana raised a curious eyebrow, a little confused as to why she was getting out of bed, but when Brittany put a pillow on the floor beside the bed, she realized what she was doing. It was another suggestion from the pregnancy book. It was going to be modified as the book was written with hetero couples as the examples, but they could make it work for them too.

"Come here baby." Brittany cooed as she motioned for Santana to come towards her.

Santana smiled and scooted towards the edge of the bed, her legs dangling off the side. Brittany spread them further apart, stepping in-between them and leaned down, kissing her as she braced herself with one hand on Santana's shoulder and palmed Santana's breast with the other. After a few moments of heated kissing, Brittany pushed on Santana's shoulder, laying her flat on the bed as she kissed down her abdomen, and Santana was thankful that it wasn't as slow and teasing as the first time.

When Brittany reached the spot above Santana's clit that she stopped at last time, she placed a lingering kiss, sucking on it slightly before she pulled her lips back and kneeled down on the pillow on both of her knees. She ran her hands up and down Santana's thighs a few times before she lifted her legs and put them over her shoulders. Santana lifted her head as Brittany wrapped her hands around her legs and pulled her closer to her, right to the edge of the mattress, but when Brittany kissed her inner thigh, she moaned in anticipation laying her head back as she felt a tightening in her core.

Brittany kissed up Santana's inner thighs until she reach her center. She had been looking forward to this moment for so long that she wasted no time spreading Santana's folds and slowly circling her clit with her tongue before she took the sensitive nub into her mouth.

Santana moaned loudly and gripped the sheets tightly as Brittany sucked and flicked her clit with her tongue.

Brittany loved all the noises coming from Santana and she smirked to herself proudly. She sucked on the nub for another minute and then she flattened her tongue and made long and slow broad strokes before she pressed her tongue inside Santana.

"Ungh, that feels s-so good." Santana cried out pressing a little harder into Brittany's face.

Brittany pushed her tongue in and out of Santana until she knew that she was close to coming. She slipped Santana's legs off her shoulders and she stood up in-between them. She replaced her tongue with her fingers, running them through her folds, and coating them with Santana's wetness as she leaned down to take Santana's nipple between her lips.

Santana wrapped her legs around Brittany and she cried out as Brittany pushed two fingers inside her, slipping in and out of her, slowly at first, but gradually getting faster until she was pumping her hand as fast as she could.

Brittany knew that it wasn't going to take long for Santana to fall apart, so she took Santana's other nipple between her lips, teasing it for a few moments, before she kneeled down again, taking her clit in to her mouth, and sucking hard.

Santana gripped the sheets tighter, moaning loudly into the room, and within seconds, she hit her peak.

Brittany kept a steady rhythm with her fingers until Santana fell limp on the bed, her breathing fast and uneven.

"Holy hell." Santana breathed out in amazement of what she had just experienced. She could barely think and she twitched as Brittany pulled her fingers out of her.

"I know." Brittany giggled, standing up and leaning over her, bracing herself with her hands on either side of Santana. "I didn't know it would be like that." She said before she kissed Santana's neck on her pulse point, causing Santana to twitch again.

Santana shook her head, because she didn't either. It was amazing being with Brittany. She had had sex several times before, and with different guys, but she never really enjoyed it. She never wanted to touch them as she craved to touch Brittany, and they never were able to make her feel as good as Brittany did.

"I guess with feelings its better." Brittany said, kissing Santana's jaw and then she placed a soft kiss on her lips. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany's back, deepening the kiss a little more.

When they finally parted, Brittany nuzzled her nose with Santana. "I love you so much, San." She whispered.

"I love you too." Santana said feeling emotional to the point that she was moments away from crying and she was trying to push the tears away. She didn't want to cry, even if it was happy tears.

Brittany leaned her head back a little so she could look at Santana and she started giggling.

Santana raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "What?"

"You were so loud." She said remembering how vocal Santana had been and Santana felt her cheeks heat up. She had never been that loud during sex before.

"Yeah…well you weren't quiet either." She said in her defense. Brittany had been pretty vocal as well.

"I _loved_ that you were loud." Brittany said nipping at Santana's lip.

The smirk on Brittany's face was enough to push Santana's near tears away and she couldn't help but to giggle as well. "I loved that you were loud too." She said, but then a few moments later a thought hit her and her face fell. "Wait, do you think the baby heard us?"

"Probably, he can hear."

"Oh my god!" Santana gasped in embarrassment and covered her face with her hands. "We've probably scarred him for life."

Brittany tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help it. "Santana, we didn't scar him."

"But he heard us having sex Britt! He's literally right there!" Santana said moving her hands so she could look up at Brittany.

"Okay, that's true, but it's not like he's going to understand it or even remember it." Brittany said with an amused smile. She loved how much Santana fussed over the baby, even if it was a little silly. "All he's going to know at the time is that I'm really happy, and if I'm happy, he's happy."

Santana searched Brittany's face for a moment as she pondered her words, and she nodded, relaxing a little. "You're right, I'm sorry. I guess that was a little ridiculous of me."

Brittany's smiled widened and she leaned down, kissing her lips. "Don't apologize about that. I think it's cute."

Santana smiled and playfully rolled her eyes.

Brittany giggled and kissed Santana on the tip of her nose. "We should probably get up." She said. She was still standing in-between Santana's legs, their hips and bellies touching as she leaned down over Santana laying on her back.

"Aww, but I like this." Santana said wrapping her arms around Brittany again. She loved the closeness.

"I do too, but it's starting to get a little uncomfortable for my back. We can still cuddle in bed." Brittany said. "We can watch 'Hocus Pocus' again since we really didn't watch it earlier, and if you want, we can heat up two cups of apple cider and have some of that pumpkin spice cake your mom made."

"You throw some kisses in there too, and you've got a deal." Santana said.

Brittany smiled standing up and helping Santana to her feet. She wrapped her arms around Santana's waist and kissed her softly. "Deal.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Hi everyone, thank you for reading. I hope this long update made up for the wait. I know it's been a while since I updated, and for those of you that left a review for the last chapter and did not receive a response from me, I truly apologize. I've always sent out thank you messages for signed reviews, but unfortunately, a couple of days after my last update, my dad passed away unexpectedly and threw my world for a loop. He had been living with several chronic illnesses for the past few years, but he had been doing really well for a long time and seemed stable, so his passing came as a total surprised to me and my family.

As always, my beta **naynay1963** deserves a huge thank you, not only for being a good friend, but also for still beta-ing this chapter, even as she was dealing with her own personal tragedy at the same time I was dealing with the loss of my dad.

Anyways, sorry for all the sad news after such a happy chapter…I really, really hope you all liked this chapter. It certainly helped to lift my spirits a little bit. If you can, please let me know what you thought about it, and thanks again for reading.

And if you're Canadian, Happy Thanksgiving!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Santana was tired, but in the best way possible. In the three and a half weeks since her relationship with Brittany became sexual, it seemed as if it kicked Brittany's hormones into overdrive and she couldn't get enough of her. She was practically insatiable. They made love at least once a day, sometimes more. Not that Santana minded; she couldn't seem to get enough of Brittany as well. She may not have had pregnancy hormones that made her horny all the time, but her teenage hormones were sensitive enough that all Brittany had to do was give her a wanton look, or touch her in just the right spots, and Santana turned into a puddle.

It was almost four-thirty in the morning and Santana was out of breath, covered in a thin sheen of sweat as she held onto Brittany, who was still breathing heavily from their early morning tryst. Brittany had woken up not too long ago with that familiar itch from a particularly enjoyable dream, waking Santana with a slow line of wet kisses along her neck. It only took a few seconds for Santana to realize what Brittany wanted and she turned her head towards her. Within moments, their pajama were haphazardly discarded, their lips attached, and their hands roaming each other's bodies, not intending to stop until the other was completely spent.

"That...was…" Santana started to say, but before she could finish her sentence, Brittany finished it for her.

"… _hot._ " Brittany breathed and tilted her head, kissing the corner of Santana's mouth. She was sweaty as well and she was sticking to Santana.

Santana let out a worn-out chuckle. "Yeah."

This was the third time in the last week that Brittany woke her up in the middle of the night. Again, she wasn't complaining. It just meant that she had to have a little more coffee before they went to school.

"I don't want to go to school. Can we skip and start Thanksgiving break early?" Brittany asked as she buried her nose into the crook of Santana's neck.

Santana sighed, because as much as she would have liked that, she knew that they would have to move sooner, rather than later. Her mother would be getting up in an hour to get ready for work, and around six o'clock, she would be in her room to wake them as well. She was sure that wanting to skip school for a day of post-coital cuddling, and to be honest, probably more sex, would not be a valid excuse for them to start their holiday early, especially since her mother had no clue that they were even dating, let alone having sex. Feigning sick had potential consequences as well, because she might just call out of work to take care of them, then they really wouldn't be alone.

"I wish, but you know Mom will be in here soon to wake us up." They only had a little while before they would have to put their clothes back on, because she did not want to fall asleep and have her mother walk into her room with both of them naked and wrapped up in each other.

Britany sighed in disappointment. "I know, but I still don't wanna go."

"Hey, it's just one more day, and then we're out of school for five days."

"And we get to eat lots of yummy food." Brittany hummed as she thought about Thanksgiving dinner.

Santana chuckled to herself. Brittany's mind always seemed to be on either sex or food. She wondered how long it would take her to combine the two. Again…not that she would mind.

"I'm sticky." Brittany cooed, propping herself up on her elbow and looking down at Santana. It was dark in the room, but Brittany's eyes had adjusted, and she was close enough to her that she could see her just fine. "I want to take a shower with you."

Santana's heart rate that had just started to calm down spiked again. "Britt, we can't." She squeaked. "Mom is-"

"Sleeping." Brittany said cutting her off. "She won't be up for another hour. We have plenty of time to shower together."

Santana was uncomfortable with that idea, even if she had slowly grown bolder since she and Brittany started dating. She was more open about showing affection to Brittany outside of her room when her mother was home, and not in the same room as them, but this idea was risky. She loved Brittany, and wanted to be with her in every way possible, but she was still too afraid to tell anyone, even her mother, about them. She had come to terms with herself about being gay, but telling other people was still too heavy.

"She might wake up and hear us." Santana countered.

"She won't." Brittany urged and rested her forehead against Santana's. "Honey, you don't have to be scared. It'll be okay." She placed a soft kiss to Santana lips, and didn't pull away until she felt Santana calm. "Please take a shower with me." She whispered and pecked Santana's lips. "I promise that I won't let my hands get out of control and we won't be too loud or long. I just want to shower with you and maybe give you a few kisses." She pecked Santana's lips again. "Please, San. I just want to be close to you for a little while longer."

Santana let out a little sigh, her breath ghosting over Brittany's lips that were a mere inch away from her own. When Brittany said things like that, it made it near impossible for her to turn her down.

After another few moments, she relented by saying, "We have to be _really_ quiet."

Brittany let out a muffled squeal as she pressed her lips against Santana's again. "I love you. Thank you." She said once she pulled out of the kiss.

"I love you too." Santana said with a soft smile, but she was still incredibly nervous.

"Come on." Brittany cooed, taking Santana's hand and rolling out of bed.

Santana followed, but when they got to the door, it dawned on her that they were still naked. "We're just going to go out there like this?"

"Yeah." Brittany said. She didn't see a need in getting dressed for the short journey. "San, it's literally three steps from your door to the bathroom. Plus, our towels are in the bathroom."

"Fine, let's just hurry." Santana huffed. The sooner she was behind the closed door of the bathroom, the better.

Brittany slowly opened the door and peered down to the end of the hallway to Maribel's room. From the hue of a small nightlight plugged in near the top of the stairs, she could see that her door was closed, as always when she slept, so she pulled the door open further, and she and Santana tiptoed to the bathroom. As the door closed behind them, Brittany mindlessly turned on the light, and they both winced from the abrupt assault on their eyes. Brittany turned on the shower and once the water was warm enough, she pulled back the curtain and Santana stepped in, before offering her hand to help Brittany in.

Brittany wasted no time in taking Santana in her arms and kissing her. They had only been in the shower a few seconds, the warm water washing over them as they kissed, and already she loved it. She wished they had taken a shower together before now.

They kissed for a few more moments before Brittany pulled back and kissed Santana on the tip of her nose. "Can I wash you?"

There was something so purely intimate about Brittany's request that Santana's heart flipped in her chest. She didn't say anything; she just smiled and nodded.

When Brittany reached for Santana's shampoo, Santana stepped under the water to make sure that all of her hair was wet before Brittany put her hands in her hair and lathered the shampoo.

Santana kept her eyes closed as Brittany gently massaged her scalp. It felt so good, but she wanted to touch Brittany as well, so she blindly reached out and ran her hands across Brittany's round belly to her hips. She softly rubbed her thumbs over the sides of her belly.

After Brittany shampooed, conditioned, and rinsed Santana's hair, she traded places with her so she wasn't under the water, and then took her loofa, poured body wash on it, and slowly started to wash her body.

If Santana thought that Brittany washing her hair was intimate, it was nothing compared to what washing her body felt like. It was so sensual and breathtaking. She was sure she never wanted to take a shower by herself again.

When Brittany turned her around to wash her back, before she put the loofa to her skin, she peppered several sweet, lingering kisses across her back and shoulders. A quake flowed through Santana and she had to reach out with one hand to brace herself against the wall of the shower, and with the other, she reached back and took Brittany's free hand into her own to steady herself.

Brittany stepped a little closer to her as she started to wash her back. "I love you so much. Thank you for being brave for me." She whispered into Santana's ear and then nuzzled the shell of her ear with the tip of her nose.

Santana couldn't even say anything, she just let out a little whimper as another quake flowed through her and she tightened her grip on Brittany's hand. She had completely forgotten about her fear of being caught. She was in heaven, and she couldn't believe that she doubted Brittany in the first place. She never wanted this to end.

When Brittany finished, Santana couldn't wait to return the favor, and what she found as she had her hands in Brittany's hair and her hands moved over her soft, curvy body, was that she loved washing Brittany more than she loved being washed. It surprised her that something as simple as taking a shower could make her feel even closer to Brittany.

By the time Santana was finished washing Brittany, she could barely contain herself. She cupped Brittany's cheeks, rubbing one of her cheeks with her thumb and said, "I love you. I love _this_ ," before she leaned in and kissed Brittany deeply.

Brittany was quick to wrap her hands around Santana's waist, gently pulling so their bellies were touching. They kissed, and caressed each other under the warm water for several minutes, before Brittany broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Santana's.

"I don't want to, but we should get out." She said rubbing her thumbs into Santana's hips. She knew that Maribel would be getting up soon and she didn't want to push it to the last minute.

Santana nodded, but she kissed Brittany again, needing to have one last kiss before their moment ended.

When they parted from the kiss, Brittany placed a soft kiss to Santana's chin, then the side of her neck, and finally her shoulder, before she turned around and turned off the water. Santana pulled the curtain open and grabbed both of their towels, handing the blue one to Brittany and keeping the purple one. They quickly dried off, brushed their teeth, and then with a peck, they separated into their own rooms to get dressed.

By the time that Maribel came to wake them, they were both in the bathroom putting the final touches on their makeup.

"You two are up early." Maribel said with curiosity as she leaned against the doorframe. "Why is that? Most mornings I have to drag you out of bed."

"We thought that we could have breakfast with you." Brittany said with an innocent smile. She thought that was a perfect excuse for them to be up so early.

Maribel raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

Santana nodded, thankful that Brittany had thought that far ahead, and it was a perfect idea too. "Yeah, we know how busy you've been lately with having to work extra shifts, so we thought we'd take you out to breakfast at the diner." She said laying it on thick. "You always say how much you love their California omelet."

Maribel didn't know if she should be appreciative or suspicious. While Santana and Brittany were good kids, and for the most part considerate and helpful around the house, they had never offered to take _her_ out to eat. It was always the other way around.

"Okay…" Maribel said slowly as she looked between them. A few moments of silence passed between them before Maribel had to ask, "So you really just want to take me to breakfast? You aren't trying to butter me up so you can ask me for something later?"

Brittany smiled and shook her head, while Santana went for a more dramatic approach by putting her hand on her heart and pouting. "Mama, I'm hurt. It's Thanksgiving and we just wanted to do something nice for you."

Maribel saw through that and rolled her eyes. "No need to be melodramatic Santana. I'm just surprised, that's all."

Santana rolled her eyes playfully. "We don't want anything; we just want to take you out."

"Yeah, you're the best." Brittany beamed. "We just wanted to tell you how thankful we are for you." Brittany said, and she meant that more than just a cover up for why they were up so early. She really was thankful for Maribel. She couldn't imagine how bad things in her life would be if Maribel had not taken her in.

Maribel felt touched by their words. "Oh…then I guess we're going out to breakfast this morning." She said with a warm smile. "I'll let you girls finish up."

"Okay." Santana and Brittany said at the same time, and of course, Brittany yelled, "Jinx!" and gave Santana a triumphant smirk. "You owe me a hot chocolate!"

"Oh for the love of- don't start that again." Santana playfully grouched. If they did, she was sure to lose, and she'd be broke by the end of the day.

Maribel laughed at their antics. "I'm going downstairs. I'll see you two when you've finished getting ready."

When she were sure that Maribel was downstairs and couldn't hear, Santana let out a relieved sigh. "Good thinking, Britt. I didn't know what to say."

"Well, I think it's a great idea anyways. Your mom is amazing. We should do more things for her like this."

"You're right." Santana said with a nod as a pang of guilt flowed through her. They should do something nice for her mother, for no other reason than they wanted to do something nice for her. "Hey, we should make her favorite cookies when we get home from school. She'd love that."

Brittany smiled widely and nodded. "That's perfect."

-()-()-()-()-

When the bell rang at the end of their English class, thankfully their last class of the day, Brittany couldn't have been more relieved. She had been holding her bladder for almost ten minutes and she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to find a bathroom, go home, and take a nap. She was looking forward to having five days to relax.

As they stood up from their table, Santana reached for Brittany's bag before she could pick it up. "You go to the bathroom. I'll go to our lockers and put our books away." She said with a small smile.

"Thank you!" Brittany cheered gratefully and Santana giggled at how quickly she ran out of the classroom. She knew the baby had been pushing on Brittany's bladder all day.

Santana took both of their bags to their lockers and put their things away. When she was finished, she waited for Brittany to come back, but after a few minutes, she wondered what was taking her so long. She thought Brittany should have been back already, but she couldn't call her to ask if she was okay because she knew her cell phone was in her bag, which Santana had, so she decided to go find her.

She walked to the bathroom that was closest to their classroom, but as she approached the door, she saw a sign that said it was closed for cleaning. She figured that Brittany went to the bathroom on the next hall, so she headed in that direction, but before she made it to the bathroom, she found her. Brittany was in the distance talking to one of the guys from the football team who was leaning against the wall, smiling and laughing as he spoke with her. An immediate spark of jealousy ignited within Santana as she watched him flirt with her girlfriend.

 _Her_ girlfriend, not his, and just as she was about to rip into him for daring to flirt with the woman that she loved, reality slapped her in the face and she stopped in her tracks. He didn't know. How could he; nobody knew about them. As far as anyone knew, they were both single…and that was all her own doing. Brittany would have told everyone by now, but Santana still couldn't bring herself to tell anyone. She still couldn't find the courage to tell a single person how much she loved Brittany, and how much she loved her in return, and in that moment, she hated herself, and a piercing pain that she had never felt before formed in her heart.

" _I don't deserve her. She's too good for me."_ She thought.

She watched them talk for a little while longer, but when he stepped closer to Brittany and gently put his hand on her arm, Santana's anger flared and she couldn't take it anymore. She had to stop it. She practically stormed over to them, coming to stand beside Brittany.

"Hey Britt, I was looking all over for you." She said, glancing towards him, scowling fiercely and pointing daggers with her eyes. She turned back towards Brittany, and her expression softened a little as she held out her bag. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

Brittany raised a curious eyebrow at Santana; she could tell that she was upset by something, so she nodded as she took her bag. "Yeah, sure, I'm ready to go." She said with some concern.

She was worried about what could have upset Santana so much in the short amount of time that they were apart. She hoped it wasn't Sue. Her taunts and malicious behavior towards them had lessened in the past few weeks since Santana quit the Cheerios, and it was clear she wasn't going to go back, but it hadn't stopped completely.

"I better get going too." He said wanting to put some space between him and Santana. Even he could tell she was upset about something. He didn't want to be in her crosshairs, not knowing that he already was.

"Yeah, see ya." Santana snapped rudely, impatiently dismissing him with a flip of her hand.

With a baffled expression, he glanced at Brittany who just gave him an apologetic smile, and then he looked at Santana again, knowing he had overstayed his welcome. "You ladies have a great Thanksgiving. I'll give you a call in a couple of days Brittany."

Brittany smiled and nodded, giving him a friendly farewell. Santana just scowled deeper at hearing that he was going to call. She was practically seething over the idea that he would call Brittany, probably to flirt again and god knows what else.

As he walked away, Brittany looked at Santana expectantly, hoping she would explain what that was all about, but Santana just hooked her pinky around Brittany's and they silently walked to the parking lot to her car.

The whole car ride home was uncomfortable. Brittany wanted to talk to her, but thought it would be safer to wait until they got home, so she didn't say anything at all, and neither did Santana.

When they stepped into the house, and Santana roughly dropped her book bag, Brittany couldn't wait anymore. "Santana, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She grumbled and pulled her arms from her jacket, flinging it on top of her bag.

Brittany sighed setting her stuff on the floor beside Santana's and then reached for her hand. "Santana…it's not nothing. What happened?" She watched Santana's jaw tighten, so she stepped in front of her and took her other hand. "Honey?"

Santana was looking down at their hands, where Brittany's thumbs gently rubbed around her knuckles, and she calmed down a little.

"Was it Sue or the Cheerios again? Did they do something to our lockers?"

"No." Santana said flatly.

If it wasn't Sue, then Brittany had no idea what could have upset Santana that badly, except…

"Is it something I did?" She asked quietly. She didn't know what she could have done, but maybe she did do something and didn't realize.

Santana look up at Brittany. Her face was filled with so much concern and her eyes were pleading with her to just talk to her. "No, of course not." She said shaking her head. She knew that Brittany wasn't reciprocating his flirtation. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then-"

"It was him!" Santana blurted angrily. "He was flirting with you!"

Brittany scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Who?"

"Shane Tinsley!" Santana snapped rolling her eyes as if the answer should be obvious. "I saw him from down the hallway. He was totally flirting with you. Laughing and smiling and touching your arm. I hated seeing him flirt with you, but I hate myself even more because I'm the reason he, or anyone else, doesn't know that you're not single. I couldn't tell him to back off from _my girlfriend_ without outing us to the whole school! I wanted to tell him to fuck off so badly, but I…I just couldn't do it."

She had tears welling in her eyes.

"Santana…" Brittany sighed and stepped closer to her, but before she could say anything else, Santana continued.

"I know I don't deserve you, but I don't want anyone thinking that you're single and available, and I don't want anyone trying to pick you up. I want them to know that you're my girlfriend and I love you. Britt, I love you so much it scares me sometimes. I want to tell everyone, but I'm still too afraid."

"Oh honey." Brittany sighed pulling Santana into a tight hug. "Why do you say things like that…of course you're good enough for me. You're perfect for me. And it's okay, I know you love me. You don't have to shout it for it be any truer."

"But Shane was flirting with you because he thinks you're single." Santana mumbled into Brittany's shoulder. "He said he was going to call you. I bet he tries to ask you out on a date."

Brittany couldn't help but to chuckle to herself. She leaned back a little so she could look at Santana and gave her a warm smile. "He wasn't flirting with me and he's not going to ask me out."

Santana frowned. "Brittany, I know what I saw and heard. Maybe you didn't pick up on it, but he was definitely flirting with you."

"San, he wasn't flirting with me. He was talking to me about Mercedes."

"What?" She asked scrunching her eyebrows in confusion.

"He's my friend. We have math with Mercedes. I sit beside her and he sits at the table across from ours. We work together in groups sometimes. Anyways, he knows that Mercedes and I are good friends, so he was asking me for advice about asking _her_ out. When he touched my arm, he was thanking me."

"So he's calling you-"

"To tell me how it goes with Mercedes."

"Oh…" Santana said biting her lip and she felt bad for her jealous tirade. She had totally misread that whole situation.

"I think it's kinda cute that you were jealous." Brittany said with a smirk as she kissed Santana on her forehead.

"I was jealous." Santana admitted softly. "I'm sorry." She was embarrassed about her behavior, but she couldn't help herself. Just the idea of anyone else trying to date Brittany upset her.

"You don't have to be jealous. I love _you_ , and only you. I don't want anyone else. And honestly, I don't think you have to worry about the guys at school hitting on me."

"Yes I do, you're gorgeous and sweet-"

"And six months pregnant." Brittany interjected. "Nobody wants the pregnant girl."

Santana balked, she never once thought of Brittany's pregnancy as a negative thing or something that would make her not want to date her. She loved Brittany, pregnancy and all. "I wanted you."

"That's because you're special, Santana Lopez. I was so lucky when I met you." Brittany whispered and placed a soft kiss to Santana's lips.

Santana whimpered as Brittany's lips touched hers and she tightened her hold around Brittany, bringing her as close to her as she could without putting too much pressure on her belly.

When they parted from the sweet embrace, Brittany rested her forehead against Santana's and they both closed their eyes. "Are you feeling better now?"

Santana nodded. "Much better."

"You know what we should do?"

"What?"

"I think that we're both a little tired, so we should go upstairs, get in our pajamas, and cuddle while we take a nap. Then when we wake up, we can make cookies for your mom."

"I think that sounds perfect, especially the cuddling part." Santana cooed. She just needed to be close to Brittany.

Within minutes, they were curled up in Santana's bed, sharing a few soft kisses before Brittany rolled onto her side, so Santana could hold her from behind. They were asleep in no time.

-()-()-()-()-

When Brittany woke up an hour and a half later, it was almost five-thirty, and she was in bed alone. She felt Santana's side, and it was starting to cool, so she thought that she might have gotten up not too long ago. She reached for the lamp to turn on the light and then sat up, swinging her legs off the side of the bed. She was just tying her hair in a messy ponytail when Santana walked into the room.

"Oh, you're awake already." She said with a little pout. She was hoping that she made it back before Brittany noticed her absence.

"The baby woke me up." Brittany said with a little chuckle. "I'm convinced that he is going to be an athlete of some kind, because he's definitely a kicker."

Santana sat beside Brittany and gave her a little peck on her lips. "Maybe he's going to be a dancer like his mommy."

"Maybe." Brittany said with a small smile. She hoped her child would like to dance. She couldn't wait to teach him. "Where'd you go?"

"I just went to get a head start on mixing the dough and preheating the oven."

"Aww, but I wanted to help." Brittany said with a pout.

"You can still help. I just mixed it; we still have to roll it in balls and put them on the sheets."

"Okay." Brittany said with a small smile and playfully pecked Santana on her lips again.

They went downstairs to the kitchen, rolled out the dough, and put the sheets into the oven to bake. While they were waiting, they sat at the table playing Hangman, using cute, loving messages for each other to guess. Once the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies were finished, they set them on the racks to cool.

"Do you think your mom will be upset if we have one or three before she gets here?" Brittany asked eyeing the cookies. She was starving and she wasn't sure she could wait until Maribel got home to have one. They smelled, and looked, too good.

"I don't think she would mind. I mean we have to test them to make sure they're good enough for her to eat, right?" Santana said with a smirk.

"Totally." Brittany said mirroring Santana's smirk, wasting no time in reaching for a warm cookie. She moaned when she took the first bite. "They're so good." She mumbled with her mouth full and quickly picked up a second cookie. "The baby needs more. And milk!"

Santana giggled before she took a bite of her own cookie and went to pour a large glass of milk for them to share. They didn't say much while they ate, but as they were finishing up, Santana caught a glimpse of a chocolate smudge on Brittany's cheek. "Britt, you got a little..." She said with a giggle.

"Did I get some on me?" Brittany asked turning towards Santana, wiping her chin and looking down at the top of her belly, because if she spilled on her shirt, that's usually were it ended up.

"Yeah, it's on your face."

Brittany stuck out her tongue, licking both sides of her mouth. "Did I get it?"

"No." Santana chuckled thinking that Brittany was the most adorable being she had ever met. "Let me." She said stepping closer to Brittany, but instead of wiping the chocolate away with a napkin or her finger, she leaned in, wrapping her hands around her hips and kissing over the spot, licking it away with the tip of her tongue.

Brittany slowly exhaled and wrapped her arms around her. Santana started a slow line of kisses across her cheek to her lips, kissing her softly, before pressing into Brittany a little more, always mindful of her belly, and backing her up against the cabinet as she slowly slipped her hands under her pajama shirt, deepening the kiss.

Brittany slid her hands into Santana's brunette locks to bring her even closer as the kiss became more passionate; their unbridled moans and whimpers spurring each other on.

They were so absorbed in each other; they didn't notice anything else, especially not something as important as the sound of a key entering the lock and the front door gently opening or closing. No, had they heard any of that, they could have pulled away from each other quickly, but since they were so wrapped up in each other, the first thing they heard as Maribel rounded the corner into the kitchen was, "Girls, it smells so good-OH MY GOD!"

Upon hearing her mother's voice, Santana yelped, pulling out of the kiss and away from Brittany so fast, she almost fell in the process. She stared at her mother wide eyed with confusion and terror. She had unexpectedly come home from work early and caught them, and from the look of shock on her mother's face, Santana felt as if she was in the beginning of one of her worst nightmares.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : I know, I know, y'all probably wanna yell at me now, and I get it, but for the flow of the story, this was the best place to break the chapter.

As always, I'd like to thank you all for reading and ask you to leave a review to tell me your thoughts about the chapter and story, but I'd also like to take a moment thank everyone that sent me kind and encouraging messages about the heartbreaking passing of my father. It was very comforting and I really and truly appreciated them.

My beta **naynay1963** is amazing and deserves the biggest thank you!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

For a few moments that felt like an eternity, everything was quiet. Maribel just stood there, looking back and forth between the two girls, trying to process what she had just seen, and what it meant. Santana's heart was beating so fast, she thought she was about to have a heart attack, and she felt as if she was going to throw up any second. She wished that the floor would open up right then and swallow her whole, because a heated make out where she had her hands up Brittany's shirt was not how she wanted her mother to find out about them.

Brittany bit her lip in worry as she looked between the mother and daughter and tried to gage what the other was thinking. She could tell that Santana was panicked and she wanted to move closer to her and take her hand, but she was sure that would do little to calm her. She was sure if she did, Santana would pull further away from her. Maribel on the other hand was harder to read. She could tell she was surprised by catching them making out, but she had yet to show any other emotion.

Finally, after several uncomfortable moments passed, Maribel broke the silence. "Umm…okay. I-uh…I think we all need a moment to-to gather our thoughts. I'm going to take a shower and change, and then we should have a little talk, okay?"

Santana was too terrified to talk, so she just clenched her fists together and nodded as Brittany whispered, "Okay."

Maribel nodded and she looked as if she was going to say something else before she nodded again and turned to leave the kitchen.

Neither Brittany nor Santana moved or said anything until they heard Maribel's bedroom door close.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Santana said panicked as she started to pace back and forth. "How the _fuck_ did this happen? We've always been so careful. This _isn't_ how she was supposed to find out!"

"Santana-" Brittany tried to interject, but Santana didn't hear her and continued.

"Fuck! She wasn't supposed to be home for an hour!" Santana said with a groan as angry tears started to form in her eyes. "We are so fucked!"

"Honey, we aren't fucked." Brittany said which Santana actually heard her speak that time and she whipped around to face her. She couldn't understand how Brittany was so calm when she should be just as worried as she was.

"Really?! We aren't fucked?! She fucking saw us making out! I had my hands up your shirt!"

"Okay yes, she saw us, but-"

"But nothing!" Santana growled. "This was the worst possible thing that could have happened!"

That hurt; Brittany's heart tightened in her chest. "Finding out about us is the worst thing possible thing? Like what we are is bad?"

Santana finally stopped pacing. "I-no, I didn't mean it that way."

Brittany crossed her arms over her chest. "Then what did you mean?"

Santana sighed crossing her arms as well and looked down at the floor. "I didn't want her to find out this way. I wanted to tell her when I was ready." She said and looked up at Brittany, her face so sad and scared. "Now we've been forced out of the flannel closet and there's no going back. What if she's mad? What if she tries to kick you out, or she can't stand the idea of having a gay daughter and she kicks both of us out?"

Brittany couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maribel disowning Santana was about as likely as the sun rising in the west. It was never going to happen. She uncrossed her arms and moved closer to Santana.

"Honey, that isn't going to happen." She said softly.

"You do-n't know that." Santana countered her voice cracking. "There's stories about people disowning their gay kids all the time."

Brittany, taking the chance that Santana wouldn't pull away from her, reached her hands out, pulling Santana's arms away from her chest and taking her hands into her own. She laced their fingers and stepped even closer to Santana so there was only a few inches between them.

"San, honey, I know it's true. Any mother that has as much love in her heart as your mother does, where she would take in a pregnant girl and treat her as if she were her own would never disown her own child. She loves you so much."

"I know she loves me." Santana said and a tear rolled down her cheek. "But, this is going to change everything. It'll change the way she sees me."

Brittany sighed as she wiped Santana's face because she did have a point about things changing, but she didn't think it would be as bad as she thought it would be. "It might take some getting used to because it's new, but she's still going to see you as her daughter. You just happen to be gay instead of straight. Some of her expectations are going to change, like you marrying a woman instead of a man, but a lot of her hopes and dreams that she had for you can still be the same."

"What about you? What if she won't let you stay?"

Brittany shrugged because there was little she could do about it. "She didn't seem mad when she left, just surprised. I think if she was that upset with me, she would have kicked me out right then. We'll just have to see when she comes back."

"Britt, I can't lose you. I _won't._ " Santana said pulling Brittany in for a desperate hug. "If she kicks you out, I'm coming with you. Maybe Quinn or Mercedes will let us stay with them for a few days until I can get a job and we can find a place. It'll probably be small and crappy, but at least it'll be ours."

Brittany was touched by Santana's devotion, but she thought she was getting ahead of herself. "I appreciate that, San. It's good to know that I wouldn't be alone, but I think we should talk to your mom first before you start making plans to move us into a shoebox."

"I'm scared, Britt." Santana said in a low voice, pulling back from of the embrace, but still holding on to Brittany. Her mother had never shown any aversion to gay people, but she knew some people didn't seem to have a problem with it as long as it wasn't their kid, or it didn't affect them, and that worried her, because what if her mom was like that? "I know you don't think it will happen, but there's a chance that everything could fall apart, and that chance is what terrifies me. I don't want to lose my mom like you lost your dad."

Brittany nodded because she had to admit that Santana was right, even though the situations were different. She could understand Santana's fear. When she was younger, she never would have thought that she would lose her dad, until she did. She hoped that didn't happen to Santana as well. "I guess we'll find out soon then."

"I guess." Santana said and her stomach was in knots.

She couldn't believe that any of this was happening. One minute she was happy, and literally the next minute she was worried about her life crashing down around her. She had that happen once before when her father died, and she didn't want to go through it again. It was too painful.

"I'm sorry that she found out this way. I wanted you to be able to tell her too." Brittany said regretfully. She wished that she had a time machine that would let her go back and change it.

Santana just nodded.

Brittany pulled her into another hug and whispered, "I love you," into her hair. "Whatever happens, remember that I love you."

"I love you too." Santana said into the crook of Brittany's neck.

They stood in the kitchen for a few more minutes, just holding each other. Brittany could feel the worry, fear, and uncertainty radiating off Santana as she held her, and she wished she could take it away, but she knew that there was nothing she could do until they talked to Maribel. She kissed Santana on her temple a few times before she suggested they go into the living room to wait.

The twenty minutes that they waited on the couch was excruciating. Santana couldn't sit still. She squirmed, shook her leg, and chewed on her bottom lip until it was almost raw. When Maribel walked into the room, instead of sitting on the chair or love seat, she sat down on the coffee table directly across from them. Santana actually stopped breathing. She wanted to run, but Brittany held onto her trembling hands and kept her in place.

They all just stared at each other for a few seconds. Brittany noticed that Maribel still didn't seem mad. Maybe confused, but not angry, and less surprised than she had been when she walked in on them. Santana didn't really notice any of that. She couldn't see past the fact that this moment was happening and she was expecting the worst.

"So, I really don't know where to start, other than to say that I love you, both of you." Maribel said thinking that would be the best place to begin, because she could see the how scared Santana looked.

Upon hearing that, Santana was finally able to breathe again. "So you're okay with this… with me being… g-gay?" She whispered, barley able to say that last part.

Maribel nodded. "Yes, Mija. I'm always okay with you being who you are, and if part of who you and Brittany are is gay, then that's perfectly fine."

"Actually, I'm bi." Brittany said and she was so relieved that Maribel was taking this as well as she hoped. She knew Santana needed that, and she needed it too. Maribel was like a second mother to her and she didn't want to lose her as well.

"That's fine too. It doesn't make me love you any less."

Brittany couldn't help but to smile.

"So you're not mad and you're not going to kick us out?" Santana asked just to be sure. She was just waiting for something bad to happen.

"No, of course not." Maribel frowned and slid closer to Santana, putting her hand on her knee. "Honey, did you really think I would do that?"

"I don't know, maybe." Santana said with a shrug.

"No. _Never_. Just to be clear, I'm not mad that you're gay or bi, and nobody is moving out." Maribel said definitively.

Santana finally sighed in relief and she calmed a little more. Brittany lightly squeezed her hand to tell her that all was going to be okay. "Okay, good. I wasn't sure; you just took off so fast when you saw us, so I thought you were upset."

Maribel chuckled and sat back a little so she wasn't crowding Santana. She knew how she could feel boxed in sometimes. "I mean, I was caught by surprise by a very _private_ scene." She said tactfully. "I didn't know you two were together, so to see you so… _intimate_ was a bit jarring. I needed a few minutes to process that. I'm sorry if my initial shock worried you."

"You surprised us too." Santana said. "You came home earlier than we thought."

"The charge nurse let me go early since I've been working so much overtime." Maribel said as way of explanation.

"You weren't supposed to find out about us this way. I wanted to tell you when I was ready to come out."

"Am I the first to know?"

Santana and Brittany nodded. "We haven't told anyone." Brittany said. "I didn't want to push Santana to come out until she was ready."

"That's good of you Brittany, but it makes me wonder, how long you two have actually been together?"

"Since August." Santana said sheepishly. "We got together right after Marcus and I broke up."

Maribel raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You two have been together for 3 months!" She wasn't expecting that answer. She thought it was more recent, maybe a few weeks, but not three months. "How could I have missed that?"

She knew they were close. She could see from the very beginning that Santana and Brittany had a unique bond, but she just thought that it was an amazing and special friendship. She had no idea that their friendship had turned romantic, or that it even would. She just assumed they were straight, given that Brittany was pregnant and that Santana had dated a couple of boys from school. Although, now that she looked back at the past few months, she realized that it should have been more obvious to her. There were a few things that should have tipped her off that their relationship was more than just friendship, but it hadn't, and it made her feel like a bad mother for not noticing.

"We were really, really careful about hiding it from you…until today obviously." Santana answered. "I'm sorry we lied to you, and if it makes you feel any better we were going to tell you first. Brittany wanted to tell you a while ago, but I just wasn't ready to tell anyone. I needed more time to get used to it myself, before I could tell other people."

"It's okay. I can understand that." Maribel said. She couldn't begin to imagine what must have been going through her daughter's head while she was trying to figure out her sexuality. She wished she could have set her mind at ease sooner.

"Thanks, Mama." Santana said with a small, but genuine smile. The first since her mother came home.

Maribel was happy to finally see Santana smile and she returned it with one of her own. "So, I have a few questions I'd like to ask, but if it's too much right now, we can talk later."

Santana turned to Brittany to see what she wanted to do, and she just gave Santana a nod that said she was okay to continue talking, but she lightly squeezed her hand letting her know that she would do whatever made Santana comfortable. She knew that Santana had to face some of her fears when her mother found out about them, so if she needed a break, her mother's questions could wait a little longer.

Santana easily read Brittany and she squeezed her hand in response. "I think we're okay to talk a little more." She was nervous about what her mother might ask, but to wait would just drag out her anxiety, and she didn't want to do that.

"Okay…" Maribel started. "Um, well, Brittany when did you realize you were bisexual?"

"When I was fifteen." Brittany answered. "It was confusing at first, but I had so many issues dealing with my dad, I didn't really have time to focus on it. It wasn't that big of a deal for me."

Maribel nodded. "Santana when did you first realize you were gay?" She was particularly interested in her answer because she thought she knew her daughter well, and she never would have guessed that Santana was gay.

"In July." Santana said. "It totally freaked me out."

"Why?"

"Because I had feelings for Brittany that I never had for a boy and I didn't want to be gay, so I tried pushing Brittany away, but it didn't work. It just made me feel worse."

"Wait, is that when you two got into that fight over the summer and you barley spoke to each other?" Maribel asked, finally realizing the time frame.

Santana nodded. "Yeah, only it wasn't a fight. I was just so scared about my feelings; I thought if I avoided her, they'd go away. I was so mean to her for no reason." She was still ashamed of how she treated Brittany.

"It's okay." Brittany whispered and kissed Santana on her temple. "It's over."

Maribel smiled when she saw Santana lean into Brittany's touch a little more. She thought they were so cute together. She had never seen Santana be so affectionate with anyone. She could see how smitten they were for each other.

"Where did you go on your first date?"

"Breadstix and the movies." Brittany said with a smile remembering the night. "It was my first date ever. Santana was so sweet, but nervous, and a little clumsy. It was so cute." She said with a little giggle and Santana playfully rolled her eyes at her.

"She sounds like her father." Maribel said softly with a warm smile. "He was just like that on our first date."

At the mention of her father, Santana smile faltered. She missed him so much and she wondered what he would think of all of this. "Do you think he would have been okay with me being gay?"

Maribel nodded, confident she knew the answer. "Yes, Mija. He loved you so much. As long as you were happy, he would have been happy, and I know he would have liked Brittany."

That really made Santana feel better, but then another thought came to her and she was worried again. "What about Abuela?"

Maribel's smile waned and she sighed; she wasn't as confident about this answer. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. She is…well you know how she is. She's more conservative and stuck in her ways. She once threatened to beat me up with a chair when she found out that your father and I were planning to move in together before we got married." She said and Brittany almost laughed because it sounded so absurd. She thought she was joking, but then Maribel said, "Thank god she was still in Puerto Rico and I was talking to her on the phone, because I'm pretty sure she would have done it too."

Santana's face fell and her stomach was in knots again. "She's going to hate me." She just knew it.

"Mija…" Maribel said scooting closer to Santana again. She hated that the conversation took this turn. "She isn't going to hate you. She loves you. It might just take some time for her to come around."

"But what if she doesn't come around?" Santana asked. "You know how stubborn she is. She hasn't spoken to Mrs. Rodrigues ever since she thought she took a couple of limes off her tree. She even gave her a receipt, showing her that she bought them at the market, and even then, she refused to believe her. That was ten years ago and she still gives her the stink eye and mutters under her breath every time she sees her out in her yard."

Maribel remembered the lime incident. She couldn't forget it. Every time they went to visit, it came up, so she agreed with Santana that her mother could be stubborn. More than stubborn, she could be absolutely ridiculous sometimes. "I don't know; I wish I could give you a better answer, but she can be so fickle sometimes. I hope that doesn't happen, but if you want me to, when you're ready, I'll talk to her."

Santana just stared down at her lap. At this point she didn't know what she wanted, because if her own grandmother couldn't accept her, she was even more afraid of what the rest of the world would be like.

"Honey, look at me." Maribel said as she put both of her hands on Santana's knees. When Santana looked up at her, she wished she could take the sadness and fear away from her. "Mija, I don't know how she'll react. She might surprise us, but even if she takes it badly, it's still going to be okay. You're going to have people that accept you wholeheartedly for who you are, and unfortunately, some that don't, but the ones that do accept you will show themselves to be your true friends and loved ones, and those are the people you want in your life. Those will be the ones that you want to focus on, not those that don't accept you, even if they're someone close to you."

"You make it sound so easy." Santana sighed.

"If only it were." Maribel said with a sigh as well. She could only imagine the unpredictable road that Santana and Brittany had in front of them. "Some people will be harder to get over than others, but that sting will lessen eventually, and you will truly realize that you are better off without that kind of negativity in your life."

"In my head I know you're right, but right now it doesn't feel that way." Santana said. "This is why I'm so afraid to come out."

"And that's okay." Maribel said just to further assure Santana that it really was okay. "You'll come out when you're ready. Just take baby steps."

Santana sighed in frustration. "I just wish that I was ready _now_. I want to tell people that Brittany is my girlfriend, not just my friend. I don't want people thinking she's single, and when the baby comes, I don't want to have to hide anything from him. I know it might not seem like it, but hiding at home is a million times worse than hiding away from home. You don't know how many times I wanted to hold Brittany's hand or kiss her, but I couldn't because I was afraid of you finding out."

"The baby isn't coming tomorrow, San." Brittany gently reminded. "We have time."

"I know." Santana said.

Logically, she knew they had plenty of time, especially where the baby was concerned. It would take a couple of years for him to even be able to understand that she and Brittany were a couple, and what that means, but she was still upset with herself for wanting to come out, but not having the courage it do it.

"Santana, may I ask, now that I know about you and Brittany, how does it make you feel?" Maribel asked.

Santana took a moment to think about the answer, and it surprised her. "I was scared at first, but now, now I feel a little better." She said. Even though the way her mother found out was less than ideal, she felt as if some of the weight she held on her shoulders had been lifted, and she felt lighter.

Maribel nodded, because she thought as much. "That's great, Mija. So as you continue to work on coming out, maybe you could try to remember this moment and how you feel and maybe it will help you in becoming more comfortable in telling other people. And just remember you're not alone. You have Brittany and you have me."

"I know. I know." Santana said softly, a small lump forming in her throat as she forced her tears away.

"So, there's one more thing I want to talk to you two about and then I think we should take a break from all the serious talk." Maribel said. She knew Santana was reaching her limit.

"Okay?" Santana said unsure of where the conversation was going.

"I…okay, well after I walked in on that scene in the kitchen, I think we need to talk about safe sex."

"Oh my god." Santana groaned in embarrassment as she let go of Brittany's hands and buried her face in her hands. She wasn't sure if she could handle a second sex talk with her mother. The first one from a few years ago was enough awkwardness to last her a lifetime.

Brittany's eyes widened in surprise because she wasn't expecting the conversation to go that direction either, and she squirmed in her seat as her cheeks heated up. This would be her first real sex talk.

Maribel saw the discomfort in both girls; she was a little uncomfortable as well because she didn't like to think of her baby girl as a sexual being, or Brittany for that matter either, despite being pregnant, but she had to have this conversation with them.

"For months you've been sleeping in the same bed. I allowed it because I thought you were just friends and you liked sharing a room, kinda like having a really long slumber party. If I had known you were going to start dating, I would have made sure you were sleeping in your own rooms from the beginning, but at this point, you two are eighteen, you're adults, and I don't think I could get you to start sleeping separately now if I tried. If you're not having sex already, it's only a matter of time before it happens, and I just want to make sure you're both safe, as well as the baby. There are extra precautions that you have to take during pregnancy. Brittany I know your STD panel came back negative after you were examined in the hospital. Santana so did yours after your yearly appointment at the beginning of June, and as much as I hope the answer is no, if you've been with Marcus since then, we need to make sure you're checked."

For a second time that night, Santana wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Her cheeks were burning so hot; she could feel the heat on her hands. "No." She mumbled into her hands before she took them away from her face. "I wasn't with him." She and Marcus had only had sex a few times during their relationship, but she knew that she didn't have sex with him after her yearly appointment.

Maribel sighed in relief. "Okay, so we don't have to worry about that, thankfully, but we do have to address precautions regarding the baby and how to keep him safe."

"We've both read the pregnancy book you gave me." Brittany said before she could continue. "There's a chapter on sex during pregnancy."

Maribel raised her eyebrow, and while Brittany's statement neither confirmed nor denied, she figured that if they both read the pregnancy book, including the chapter on sex, and they were avoiding looking at her directly, there was a good chance that they were already sleeping together.

"And was it helpful and informative?" She asked.

"Yes." Brittany and Santana simply said without going into detail.

"Okay, that's good. I know at your age, it's easy to get caught up in how good sex can feel physically, but I want to make sure that you're both prepared for the emotional effects that kind of intimacy can have. Sex is a great way to reach a physical release, but more importantly, it's an even better way to connect and feel closer to another person. If you're both not on the same page about how you feel about each other, and what you want out of the relationship, feelings will be hurt and it can be devastating. I would hate to see either of you go through that kind of pain and heartache."

As mortified as Santana was about having this conversation with her mother, she had to agree with her. Being with Brittany the first time, and every time after, showed her that sex with feelings was so much better, both emotionally and physically. She sometimes looked at her past, and how she had been with other people, and if she had known from the beginning how amazing making love to Brittany was, and how much better it made her feel, she never would have slept with anyone else. As Brittany said before, "with feelings, it's better," and she knew that they both felt that way.

"I don't think we have to worry about that. I love Brittany so much and I just want to be with her." Santana said confidently. "She makes me so happy."

"I feel exactly the same way." Brittany said with the same confidence and a proud smile, because even though Santana was uncomfortable, she didn't shy away from telling her mother that she loved her and wanted to be with her.

Maribel smiled at their answers. "That's all I can ask for." She said and then changed the subject. "Well, I think we can talk about this more later, but right now I really think we need to eat some cookies and watch a movie together."

"Yes!" Brittany said pumping her fist. "Me need cookies!" She said mimicking The Cookie Monster. As usual, she was hungry, and she planned to eat as many cookies as Santana and Maribel would allow her.

Santana could help but to let out an amused giggle. She loved Brittany's goofy side. "A cookie sounds great."

Maribel stood up and held her hands out for each girl to take, and she helped them stand. "Thanks for making my favorite cookies. It's a nice surprise to come home to after a long day."

"Well at least one of the surprises we gave you tonight was nice." Santana said with a sarcastic chuckle. Even though everything turned out so much better than she expected, she was still sore that her mother found out about them the way she did.

"Hey," Maribel said cupping Santana's chin with her hand, "they were both nice surprises. If I could think of anyone that I would want to be dating my daughter, it would be a sweet girl like Brittany. This is a happy day."

Santana felt her heart swell at the total acceptance her mother had given her and she pulled her in for a tight hug. "Thanks Mama. I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too Mija." She said. When they pulled out of the embrace, she gave Brittany a hug as well and whispered in her ear, telling her to take care of Santana. Brittany nodded and held her tighter. When they parted, Maribel looked at both girls with a smile and then said, "Now, let's go eat, I'm dying for a cookie!"

"Okay." Santana and Brittany said with chuckle, and of course, Brittany yelled "Jinx!"

-()-()-()-()-

Later that night, when they were alone, Brittany crawled into bed and held out her arms for Santana. Santana slid into bed and curled into Brittany, resting her head on her shoulder.

"How are you honey?" Brittany asked as she slowly ran her fingers up and down Santana's arm. This was the first chance she had to talk to Santana after their conversation with Maribel. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She said with a little sigh and rested her hand on the top of Brittany's stomach. "I'm still worried about how my Abuela is going to take the news, because she's probably going lose it, and I can't even begin to think about how everyone else is going to take it, but I'm just so happy that my mom was okay with it."

Maribel was the one that Santana's was worried about coming out to the most, and the fact that her mother took it so well, and accepted both of them and their relationship, it gave her more courage to think that coming out to others wouldn't be just a dream. It could one day become a reality.

"Me too." Brittany said. She was happy as well. They both needed Maribel to be there for them, and tonight, she was there in a big way. "She's an amazing woman."

"Yeah, she is." Santana said with a soft smile.

They were quiet for a few minutes; both of them replaying the night in their heads, then Santana lifted her head and placed a soft kiss on Brittany's lips. When they parted, Santana rested her forehead on Brittany's and said, "I love you."

"I love you too." Brittany cooed.

"I just…thank you for being so patient with me. I know I don't say it enough, but I'm so thankful that I have you in my life. I'm a mess to deal with sometimes and I know it's not easy being forced to stay in the closet and hide an important part of yourself from the world because I can't come out yet, but I _promise_ you Britt, I'm really trying. I'm trying…I just need a little more time. Can you give me that?"

Brittany leaned back a bit so she could softly kiss Santana on her forehead before she rested their foreheads together again. "Of course, San. I know you're trying, and I love you for it. When your mom saw us, you were scared, but you didn't try to come up with an excuse and you didn't deny your feelings for me, you told her you loved me, and I was so proud of you. I'm okay with your mom being the only one that knows about us. For now, that's good enough for me. The rest will come in time."

"Okay." Santana sighed contently, her heart full that Brittany was proud of her. As long as Brittany was happy, she was happy too. The rest of her worries could be pushed aside, and left for another day. All she wanted to do right now, was enjoy being as close as she could to Brittany.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : And there you go! All is well with the girls and Mama Lopez, although, I think most of you knew that it would be, didn't you ;-) As always, I love hearing from you lovely people, so pretty please send me your thoughts on the story if you have a minute.

Oh, and for those of you who are in the Christmassy spirit, I have a sequel in the works for **Santana's Elf** (if you haven't read that one, check it out, or read it again! It's another one of my fluff balls fics). I'm still in the process of writing it, but as soon as it's done, I'll post it. It probably means that the next chapter of this story will be a little delayed, but I promise my beta and I will be working as fast as we can on both.

Speaking of my beta, **naynay1963** , she's the best! I know I've said that before, but it's true! She's the best and I'm always grateful for her help!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Santana stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room, obsessively examining every detail of her appearance, making sure it was perfect. She was sure she was going to have one of the worst days of her life, filled with negativity and disapproval that she couldn't control, but her appearance was one thing she could control, so she was going to make sure there wasn't a single thing out of place that could be picked out and used against her.

She had made a decision; she was going to come out at school. She was so nervous and terrified about how they were going to be treated, but more than that, she was tired. She was tired of hiding her real relationship with Brittany. Since her mother found out about them a month ago at Thanksgiving, they didn't have to hide at home. She and Brittany were free to be themselves and love each other openly, and it was the best feeling in the world…until they had to leave the sanctuary of their home, then they had to hide again. Santana hated how it made her feel, and though she never said anything, she could see that Brittany didn't like it either, and Santana hated that even more.

Brittany came up behind her, sliding her hands down the smooth material of her dress and resting her hands on her hips. "You've been staring at yourself for fifteen minutes." She said softly and nuzzled Santana's ear with her nose. "You look perfect."

Santana sighed and looked up, meeting Brittany's eyes in the mirror. "Thanks." She said with a weak smile.

Brittany smiled at her and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're going to be warm enough in this dress?"

Santana had spent hours deciding on what she was going to wear, going through her closet multiple times before selecting the blue and black stripped dress. It was formfitting and came to her mid-thigh, but it had long sleeves, so she thought it would be warm enough to wear in the cold, December weather.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll have my coat with me, so if my legs get cold in class, I can put it over them."

"Okay." Brittany said and lifted her chin off Santana's shoulder before she gently turned her around. "I love you."

"I love you too." Santana said, but Brittany could hear the worry in her voice.

Santana had told her a week ago that she wanted to come out. She was so unhappy every time they left the house together, but couldn't be together as they were at home, that she dreaded leaving the house. Brittany could relate, because she loved being open with Santana at home, but hated being shut off from her everywhere else, so together they worked out a plan. It was a calculated move on their part. They would come out the last day of school before Christmas/Winter break. If things went badly, and everyone freaked out, they would only have to see them for one day, and then they'd have almost three weeks away, hoping that by the time they came back to school, everyone would be over the initial shock and it would be old news by then.

Brittany lifted both of Santana's hands and kissed her knuckles softly. "You're shaking." She said softly. "Are you sure you want to do this today? We can wait."

Santana sighed and shook her head. "I don't want to wait anymore. We can't, it's just too hard to keep up this charade. It's making us miserable and I don't us want to be sad anymore. Britt, I want to be able to leave the house and hold your hand if I want to, or kiss you before class without sneaking into a janitor's closet, or tell you I love you without having to whisper it. I'm not ready for the backlash, but I don't think I'll ever be ready for that, so now is as good a time as any."

Brittany rested her forehead against Santana's and nuzzled their noses. When Santana said things like that, she fell even further in love with her. "I'm so proud of you. You're the bravest person I know."

Santana let out an unbelieving chuckle. "I'm not brave; I'm fucking terrified right now."

"You're about to face one of your biggest fears head on, on your own terms, and not because someone else forced you to, so of course you're scared. And just because you're scared, it doesn't mean that that you aren't brave." Brittany said encouragingly and kissed Santana's forehead.

"I just wish this was easier." Santana sighed.

"Me too, San."

They stood silently, just holding each other until Maribel called up the stairs to say that breakfast was ready.

Brittany was the first to break out of the embrace, but she held on to Santana's hand. "Come on honey, let's go."

Santana didn't say anything, she just followed Brittany down the stairs, but she doubted she would be able to eat anything. Her stomach was in knots and she was surprised that she hadn't thrown up already.

When they walked into the kitchen, Maribel had their plates sitting on the table. Pancakes for Brittany, and toast for Santana. She had been filled in on the plan as well, and she knew the girls well enough to know that Santana wouldn't be able to stomach much, but she still wanted her to have breakfast, even if it was light.

"Hi girls." Maribel said, sitting down to her plate of pancakes. "Santana if you want more than that, there's some pancakes on a plate in the microwave."

"Thanks Mama, this is fine." She said with a weak smile. She was glad her mother wasn't trying to force anything on her.

During breakfast, Brittany and Maribel carried most of the conversation, with Santana just sitting there, taking small bites of her toast, and barely paying attention to what was being said. She was locked in her head, running potential scenarios of how people were going to take the news. She thought the glee kids would be okay with them. They'd be surprised, but they accepted Kurt for who he was, so she thought and hoped with everything she had that they'd be accepted as well. The rest of the school was iffy and she was expecting the worst.

When breakfast was over and they were getting ready to leave, Maribel walked them to the door and gave them tight, encouraging hugs. She was proud of them, but she was a little nervous too. Teenagers were unpredictable, and they could be cruel, especially when it came to things that were perceived as different or unusual, and she didn't want her girls to go through that heartache, but she knew it was inevitable. She knew the chances of them being accepted by everyone was slim. Lima was a small town that had some good people in it, but unfortunately, it had some small-minded people too. Undoubtedly, they would meet some opposition. She wanted to help them, but she knew she couldn't walk around with them all day at school attempting to put out fires. This was something they had to do on their own. All she could do was be there if they needed comfort or help picking up the pieces.

"I took the day off, so I'll be home all day." Maribel said as she put her hands over Santana's as she nervously fumbled with the zipper of her coat. She gently calmed her hands and then helped her zip it up. "If you need anything, just call me. I can be there in ten minutes."

"Thanks." Santana said and hugged her mother again, holding her tight against her.

"It'll be okay." Maribel whispered and tightened her hold on Santana.

When they parted, Maribel gave Brittany another hug as well and then she watched as they walked out to Brittany's car. Typically, Santana preferred to drive, but she had been too nervous to even think about driving, so Brittany gladly offered to drive them.

On the way, Santana was still stuck in her head, thinking and worrying. Brittany wanted to distract her, but ultimately, she decided against it. She knew that Santana needed to feel as if she had completely thought this through, so she didn't say anything, she just held her hand all the way to school, rubbing the top of her knuckles with her thumb. Brittany pulled into their usual spot and they slowly got out of the car to gather their things. When they met at the front of the car, they lingered as Santana looked around, taking in her surroundings.

" _Everything is going to be different soon."_ She thought as she watched the kids that may soon shun them, walk from their cars to the building.

Their plan on how they were going to come out wasn't flashy. They didn't plan to announce it, or make a big deal about it, they were just going to walk into school holding hands and simply do things that any other couple there would do. Eventually, people would notice, and if they were asked, they'd confirm that they were together. If McKinley lived up to its reputation, the gossip mill would take care of disseminating the news for them.

"San?" Brittany said gently after a few moments to get her attention. She looked even more nervous now that they were at school, and it broke Brittany's heart that Santana was so anxious. "We don't have to do this now, it can wa-" She started to say, but before she could finish her sentence, Santana took her hand and lightly squeezed, as if to say, _"We do."_

Brittany smiled and squeezed her hand in return. She would have waited if Santana had changed her mind, but she was so happy that Santana still wanted to go through with telling other people about them. "I love you so much, San."

"I love you too." Santana said with a small, genuine smile, despite how out if her element she felt. "Just don't let go." She squeaked. She knew herself, and she didn't want to get freaked out and change her mind. She wanted to come out, she was just so scared, but if she could feel Brittany, she knew she would feel less likely to run.

"Never." Brittany said softly, lacing their fingers and nodded her head towards the school. "Come on."

Santana nodded as she let out a long, shaky breath. _"It's now or never."_ She thought.

As they walked into the school, heading towards their lockers, Santana forced herself to keep a neutral expression on her face and look forward, not making eye contact with anyone. Through her peripheral vision, she could see that a few people had noticed them, and whispered to the person next to them, but for the most part, people were going about their own business and were paying them no mind.

When they got to their lockers, Santana let go of Brittany's hand and she reached for her lock. Her hands shook as she tried to put in the combination, and she kept missing the correct numbers.

"It's okay." Brittany said and put her hand on Santana's lower back. "You're doing so well."

Santana just glanced at Brittany with a weak smile before she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to try to clear her mind to calm herself. It worked, because once she opened her eyes, her hands weren't so shaky and she was able to put in her combination. She exchanged the books and folders in her bag for the ones she needed from her locker. When she was finished, she turned to find Brittany just waiting for her.

"Are people staring at us?" She asked looking only at Brittany.

Brittany's eyes flitted around for a few seconds before they returned to Santana. "A few people are; I think they saw us when we walked in, but most of them aren't."

Santana nodded and reached her hand out to take Brittany's again. "I'll walk you to class." She said as if it was something she didn't do every morning.

"Thanks." Brittany said with a warm smile.

As they walked down the hallways, a few more people noticed them holding hands, but no one approached them. For Santana, it seemed as if it was the longest walk ever, and for those that were watching them, it made her feel as if they was a lab rats. When they got to Brittany's classroom, Shane Tinsley and Mercedes were standing outside talking with Tina and Artie. The knots in Santana's stomach tightened as they approached them. Brittany ran her thumb across her hand and flashed her an encouraging smile.

"Hey ladies!" Mercedes said with a smile when they came to a stop beside them. She didn't seem to notice that they were holding hands, and neither did the other three. "We were just talking about going to the Lima Bean after school and then to the mall for some last minute Christmas shopping, do y'all wanna come?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." Brittany said brightly at the same time that Santana said "Sure," only her response was more subdued. She hoped that after they found out, they'd still be invited.

"Awesome!" Tina chirped. "I want your ladies' opinion about this dress I've been debating on buying for my mom. I like it, but Artie is no help when it comes to these things, I need a second opinion from someone whose response isn't going to be, "It looks fine."

"Hey, I thought it looked fine, what more do you want from me woman?" Artie asked with a shrug.

Tina rolled her eyes. "See what I mean, I need a female opinion."

"Don't worry, we've got you." Mercedes said as she playfully ruffled Artie's hair and he swatted at her hand. "Between the three of us, you're going to have more than an honest opinion on what we think of the dress."

They talked for a few more minutes, and Santana could hardly believe that they didn't seem phased that they were holding hands. She was wondering if they even noticed.

When the warning bell rang, they started to wrap up their conversation. Mercedes and Shane had the same class, as did Artie and Tina, which was next door, so the only couple that had to part ways was Santana and Brittany.

Santana felt her heart rate increase as she gathered the courage to lean in and give Brittany a quick, but soft peck on her lips in front of their friends, and whomever else noticed in the hallway.

"I'll see you after class." Santana said, forcing her voice to stay smooth even though she was practically shaking, partly from fear, and partly from surprise that she had actually kissed Brittany in front someone other than her mother.

"Okay. Love you." Brittany said with a smile, squeezing her hand. Her heart was boiling over with pride. She could have kissed Santana again, but she didn't want to push Santana's comfort level too far. She was letting her control the pace.

"Love you too." Santana said and she dared a brief glance around at the wide-eyed confused and surprised looks from her friends, but before she could walk away, Mercedes held up her hand.

"Umm, what was that? Are you two together?" She asked motioning between the two of them. Her tone wasn't accusing or negative, it was simply curious.

Brittany smiled and nodded while Santana nodded as well and said, "Yes, we are together."

"Oh?" Tina said in a surprised tone at the same time that Artie said, "Wow, I didn't expect that."

Shane didn't comment at all.

"Do you guys have a problem with that?" Santana asked. She was so afraid of the answer, she tightened her hold on Brittany's hand, and she found herself holding her breath, just waiting for rejection.

"Girl, of course not!" Mercedes said rolling her eyes playfully. "You know none of us care."

Tina, Artie, and Shane all nodded and spoke at the same time, assuring them that they didn't have a problem with their relationship. Santana sighed in relief and she glanced at Brittany who gave her a warm smile.

"We're just a little surprised, that's all." Tina said. "How long have you been together?"

"Four months." Brittany answered.

"So you-" Mercedes started to say, but they were interrupted from a call from a few doors down.

"Miss Lopez, do you plan on coming to class today?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mrs. Hagberg." She called in a monotone.

"We'll talk more after class." Mercedes said with a smile.

Santana nodded and gave Brittany another peck on her lips. "See ya." She said and this time when she kissed her, she didn't feel as nervous knowing that her friends didn't care. That they were accepted.

"See ya, honey." Brittany said as the bell rang again. She was so happy, she felt as if she could break out into a dance at any moment.

Brittany watched Santana until Mrs. Hagberg closed the door behind her and then she looked back to where her friends had been standing, seeing that Shane, Tina, and Artie had already gone into their classrooms, but Mercedes was still standing there, smirking like the cat that ate the canary.

"Girl, you've been in a relationship with Santana for _months_ and didn't tell me? I'm mad at you." Mercedes said playfully. "I need details, and I need them _now_." She said hooking her arm around Brittany's as they walked into their classroom.

"Of course you do." Brittany giggled, happy to tell Mercedes anything she wanted to know about her and Santana.

-()-()-()-()-

The news spread like wildfire, and by the time that Santana was walking to her locker in-between third and fourth/free period, the whole school knew about her and Brittany. She felt as if she was under a microscope. They were the top of the gossip fodder and they were all anyone was talking about. Everyone she walked passed either looked and stared at her, or looked and whispered to the person next to them. Even when she was in class, people would quickly avert their eyes when she caught them looking at her. All the looks and comments that people whispered behind her back made her uncomfortable. She wished that Brittany was with her because it made it easier to face when she was proudly holding her hand.

She hated that they were already being treated differently, but so far, they had not faced any direct opposition, and thankfully, some of the looks that they got in class or in the hallway weren't all scandalous, some were warm, accepting smiles.

Their friends in the glee club were surprised when they found out, Quinn especially, but their relationship was greeted with open arms. The relief that Santana felt from being truly accepted by her friends was overwhelming. She almost cried a few times when they hugged her and told her that they didn't see them any differently. They were still Brittany and Santana. She was so happy that they didn't turn against them that she didn't even get that annoyed when she had to tell Puck there was, "No chance in hell" that they'd ever accept his offer for a threesome. Finn and Rachel suggested that instead of holiday songs, they spend free period glee rehearsal singing songs to celebrate their "budding Sapphic relationship," as Rachel called it, but Santana immediately squashed that idea. That was taking things a step too far for her.

She hoped that Brittany was waiting for her at their lockers when she got there, but unfortunately, she didn't get her wish. She deflated a little, but she knew she would be by soon, so she opened her locker, intent on trying to ignore the people around her. She traded out books and folders and just as she closed her locker, Brittany walked up beside her.

"Hey beautiful." Brittany cooed and leaned in for a soft, but chaste kiss. Santana relaxed a little when she felt Brittany's lips touch hers. Her presence alone was more than enough to make her feel better. When they parted, Brittany giggled and nuzzled her nose with Santana's. "I love that I can do this now." She whispered and pecked Santana's lips again.

Santana's cheeks heated up. "I do too."

Despite feeling some discomfort over how people were acting toward them, she had to admit that being able to kiss Brittany, or hold her hand, or just simply be close to her anytime she felt the urge without having to sneak away into a locked room was a relief. She was glad that they could be together out in the open.

"I lo-" Brittany started to say, but before she could finish her sentence, a guy leaned up against her locker, staring at them.

"Well look who it is, it's the schools newest lesbo couple." He said with a smirk.

Brittany and Santana both turned to look at him. Brittany recognized him immediately and her cheerful mood quickly turned to one of annoyance. Santana didn't recognize him at all.

"Who the hell are you?" Santana snapped, startled by his sudden appearance. She didn't like how close he was standing to them, she didn't like the way he was leering, and she didn't like how he was leaning on Brittany's locker.

"I'm Josh Coleman, sophomore rugby captain, and you are too hot to be gay." He said glancing down to Santana's breasts before he looked up at Brittany. "Preggers over here used to be hot too, until she got herself knocked up. Who's the father; does he know what kind of perverted lifestyle you're exposing his child to? I mean, I'm guessing the baby isn't yours J-Lo, unless you have a dick up under that dress that you've been hiding."

Santana's eyebrows shot up incredibly high and she balled her hands into fists. She was livid. "Excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are coming over here and saying shit like that?" She growled.

"You know what I think is really going on here?" Josh continued. "You both haven't had a man that's been able to satisfy you, but I'm just the man that can straighten you out. Make you normal again." He said cockily. "I promise one night with me, and you'll be craving The D and you'll forget all about carpet munching each other."

Santana didn't know what part of that statement to attack first, but before she could say anything, Brittany abruptly stepped closer to Josh, making him flinch back a step. "Really? You think that _you_ would be the one to straighten us out?" Brittany said sarcastically. "First off, asshole, we are normal, and we don't need anyone but each other to satisfy us. Second, you can't fuck the gay away, but even if you could, you wouldn't even come close to being able to do it, and third and most importantly, the baby is fine. He's well cared for and loved. He hasn't been exposed to anything perverted, unless you count the unfortunate amount of time he's been in your presence."

Josh tightened his jaw and puffed his chest out. "Listen here, bitch-"

"No, you listen." Brittany said angrily, stepping closer to him again, lifting her hand, and pointing a finger at him, knowing he was weary of her after their last encounter. He predictably took a step back, afraid she might hit him again. "If you value your balls and face at all, and don't want me to smash them in again, I suggest you walk away and leave us alone."

"Wait a minute." Santana said finally putting two and two together. "Smash in his balls and face _again_? Is this the guy that put his hands on you at Puck's party?"

"Mm-hmm." Brittany said, still glaring at Josh.

Santana's anger flared even more. She was still mad that Brittany had gotten hurt trying to defend herself that night. She immediately reached over and grabbed Josh by the lapel of his letterman jacket with one hand and the bottom half of his face with the other, aggressively yanking it toward her so he was looking at her. "Okay, I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. You don't have to like that Brittany's bi and I'm gay, but we're together and that isn't going to change because of people like you. I don't care what you think about us. What I _do_ care about is her and the baby. If you ever and I mean _eve_ r mess with either of them again, or come near us in a way that I don't like, I swear to you I'll do more than kick you in the balls and punch you in the nose. Out of the two of us, Brittany's the nice one. I'm not afraid to cut a bitch and by the time I'm done with you, your balls and dick _won't_ ever work again, and your face won't be so recognizable either. You understand me?"

Josh swallowed hard as he considered the situation he was in, and he was afraid. He experienced firsthand what Brittany was capable of, and he didn't want to go through that again. She broke his nose the first time. He could tell just by looking at Santana, and the way she had ahold of him that she would make good on her threat, and he wasn't keen to find out what kind of bodily harm she could inflict on him as well.

"Hey asshat, _DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND. ME_?" Santana said again slowly and a little louder as she tightened her grip on his face and jacket.

Josh nodded. "Y-yes." He said his voice cracking.

"You better, because I'm not playing. Not when it comes to her or the baby." Santana said and squeezed his face a little tighter. "Now apologize for implying that because she's pregnant she isn't as gorgeous as she used to be, because she's the most beautiful woman in the world, pregnant or not."

"I'm sorry." Josh mumbled.

Santana tightened her vicelike grip, and her hands were starting to hurt with how tightly she was holding onto him. "I said apologize. Don't waste her time with that weak ass bullshit."

Josh's fearful eyes widened before they flitted over to Brittany and he squeaked out, "I'm sorry for being an asshole to you Brittany. You're still incredibly gorgeous."

Santana nodded and as she let go of him, giving his face a shove for good measure.

"Hey, is everything okay over here?" Mercedes asked coming to stand beside Santana and Brittany.

Quinn, Tina, and Rachel were there too. They all had their arms crossed over their chests and they were staring at Josh intently.

"Yeah, everything is fine. He was just leaving." Santana said, never taking her eyes off Josh.

Josh just looked at all six women's hard expressions and he adjusted his jacket. "Bunch of lesbos." He huffed under his breath as he turned to walk away, sulking and rubbing his sore face.

"That's right, walk away!" Rachel and Tina called after him.

Santana glanced around at a few people that had been watching them and she gave them a challenging look, daring them to say something to her or Brittany as well, but no one did. They all shied away. Finally, Santana felt as if she was regaining some control and the discomfort that she felt earlier disappeared. Suddenly, she didn't care what any of them thought about her or Brittany. They could look and whisper all they wanted. Their opinions didn't matter. She was going to live her life the way she wanted, regardless of what they thought.

"Are you two really okay?" Quinn asked and the concern on her face was evident.

"Yeah, we're fine." Brittany said, sliding her hand down Santana's arm to her hand and laced their fingers. "He was just running his mouth."

"What did he say to you?" Mercedes asked. "We were all walking to the choir room and saw that something was going on with y'all, but we didn't hear anything that had been said."

"It doesn't matter what he said, he was just being an ass about us being together, but we took care of it." Santana said rolling her eyes. She could see the fear in Josh's face, so she was confident that he wouldn't bother them again.

"Well if you need us to have your back, just let us know." Mercedes said and Quinn, Tina, and Rachel all spoke at the same time, giving their support.

"Thanks guys. You're awesome." Brittany said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, thanks." Santana said with a genuine smile. She was so happy they had friends that would stand up for them if needed.

"Now that that's over, let's go to Glee!" Rachel chirped. "I've compiled an extensive list of moving love songs, some by Melissa Etheridge and-"

"Berry, no!" Santana said cutting her off. "I told you and your oaf of a boyfriend that we are _not_ having Lady Music Day."

"But it would be so fun!" Rachel whined. "Can't you just look at the list?"

"No!" Santana sighed exasperated. "I am not having you and Frankenteen or anyone else in the glee club serenading me and Britt with songs about making lady babies or whatever. That's just creepy."

Brittany just giggled. "She's right, it is kinda creepy."

"Ugh, fine." Rachel huffed, pouting. "We'll just sing Christmas songs; I have a list of them too."

"Thank you." Santana said rolling her eyes, but deep down she did appreciate that Rachel was excited about her and Brittany's relationship. She just didn't want her to sing about it.

"Hey, so we'll catch up with you guys in a few minutes." Brittany said. "I need to change out my books and stop by the bathroom."

"Alright see y'all soon." Mercedes said flashing them a wide smile and she, Tina, and Rachel started to walk away, but Quinn stayed back.

"If your buddy is stupid enough to come back for more, make sure Snixx gives him a few well-placed hits and a verbal beat down." She said winking.

"Don't worry, she will." Santana said. She'd unleash every last ounce of Snixx Juice she had within her if he came back again.

"And if anyone even comes near you with a slushy, you let me and Mike know and we'll take care of them." Quinn said. "We've already stopped Karofsky last period after we saw him holding two and walking in the direction of your lockers; and I told the Cheerios if they slushied you, I would make their lives a living hell."

Santana smiled, grateful for her friends. She and Quinn had their moments where if someone didn't understand their dynamic, they would question if they were friends at all, but they were, and they would be there for each other if they were needed. "Thanks Quinn." She said and made a mental note to thank Mike when she saw him.

"No problem. Oh and Mike suggested we go on a double date, so maybe we can go over the break."

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Brittany said with a wide smile.

"Yeah." Santana said, not wanting to admit how happy she was at the thought of going on a double date.

"Okay, I'll see you ladies in Glee." Quinn said walking away.

When she was gone, Santana turned back to Brittany. "Hey, Babe. So what did you want to talk about? I know you probably do have to go to the bathroom, but you could have done that on the way with the rest of them."

Brittany smiled, not surprised that Santana caught on to what she had done. "I do want to talk, but let's go find a place that's not so crowded." She quickly changed out her books and folders and then she walked Santana to the library, taking her to a table in the back that had no one else around.

"It must be serious if you brought us to the reference section of the library." Santana said with a nervous chuckle as she set her bag on the table and took a seat.

Brittany sat down as well and took Santana's hand into her own. "Well, it's just that I wanted to see if you were okay after what Josh said about us and the baby and I didn't want to do it in the hallway."

"Oh…" Santana said shifting a little. She had been bothered by what he said concerning the baby, making terrible accusations, as if they had done something to hurt him, and even assuming that the sperm donor didn't just run off and cared enough to be a parent at all. "I was upset about that, but he was just talking shit to get a rise out of us; he knows nothing about your baby."

"But San, that's just it, I don't think of him as just my baby." She said shyly. "I know it's scientifically impossible for this baby to be _biologically_ yours, but biology doesn't have to matter. You've been there with me from the beginning. You've been a part of everything. Your mom has too, but you've helped me in ways that your mom can't and I just want you to know that if you want him to be, he can be yours too."

Santana's heart swelled in her chest and she tightened her hold on Brittany's hand. "Really?" She loved the baby so much, but she never wanted to assume that he would be anything more to her than what Brittany wanted him to be.

"Yes, of course. I've felt this way for a while. I can see the way you are about him. You love him, and I just…I didn't say anything before now because we're really young and still in high school, but when Josh said he wasn't yours because you're not the father, I had to say something because I didn't want you to think that I felt that way too. The fact is, I have no choice anymore, I'm going to be a mother in a couple of months, but you have a choice. You don't have to be a parent at eighteen or accept any of the responsibilities that come with it, but the more I watch you, the more you act like you want it. You already do everything that a non-carrying parent would do. You don't have to decide now; we've only been together for a few months, so things could change in the future, even though I can't see us ever breaking up. I don't want to force parenthood on you, but if you ever decide that you want to be his other mother, I would love to raise him with you."

Santana had tears welling in her eyes and her heart was beating faster. "You want to share your son with me." She said choked up.

Brittany nodded and leaned in, giving her a soft kiss on her lips. "I want to share everything in my life with you, Santana. _Everything_."

Santana couldn't help the happy sob that escaped her lips and she leaned in to kiss Brittany again as tears were now rolling down her cheeks. She kissed her slow and deep, and then when they parted, she slid out of her chair, kneeling in front of Brittany and placed her hands on Brittany's belly.

"Hey little man. I'm going to be your mama. I love you so much." She said and leaned forward, placing a few soft kisses to the top of Brittany's belly. She then looked up at Brittany, took both of her hands into her own, and kissed her knuckles. "You're right, we are young, and we haven't been together that long, but I don't need to be older to know that this is what I want. I love you, and the baby, and I would love to be his other mother. I promise I'll try my best to be a good mom."

Brittany smiled widely, tears already falling down her cheeks as well. "You're going to be the _best_ mom."

"So are you Britt." Santana said and she kissed Brittany's belly again.

"Our little man is going to be so lucky. He's already so loved and he isn't even here yet."

Santana's heart flipped in her chest at hearing Brittany say, ' _Our_ little man'. "He is." She said and then she let go of Brittany's hands to wipe away her tears. "We made a mess of our makeup." She said looking at the mascara tracks on her cheeks.

Brittany wiped at Santana's face as well. "We should go fix it before we go to Glee. They're probably already wondering where we are, and if we go in there looking like we've been crying, they're going to think something bad happened."

"Yeah, let's not get them worked up. The next thing we know, Rachel will come up with a list of songs to help us through it." Santana joked.

Brittany couldn't help but to laugh. "Oh god no, I don't think I could handle that."

"Me either." Santana said and she sighed contently before she stood up and helped Brittany stand up from her chair. "Come on, let's go get cleaned up."

-()-()-()-()-

Later that evening when they returned home from the mall with their friends, Santana felt as if she was floating. She was on an emotional high. She couldn't get over how happy she was that she could walk around with Brittany, holding her hand, and simply just being like any other couple. Sure they got some looks at the mall, similar to the ones they got in school, but Santana didn't care anymore, and Brittany never cared. She just held Santana's hand proudly, silently telling anyone who noticed that she loved her.

When they came in the house, Maribel called to tell them that she was in the living room. They took off their coats, set their few shopping bags on the floor, and went in to see her. They had called Maribel after glee rehearsal to let her know that everything was fine and that they were going to be hanging with their friends for a while after school, because they knew that she was worried and probably waiting by the phone.

"So, everything today went well?" Maribel asked when they sat on the love seat together, the nervous tone still in her voice. She had no clue what happened after they called her earlier in the day.

"Yeah. It's great." Santana said with a genuine smile. "Everyone was surprised. Some people gave us funny looks, and one guy was a jerk about it, but for the most part, people just accepted that we were together."

Maribel sighed in relief. "That's good. I'm so happy to hear that." She said with a smile.

"We have some news too." Santana said and took Brittany's hand into her own.

"Is it good news?" Maribel asked.

"Yes." Brittany and Santana said at the same time. "You tell her." Brittany said.

"Well after that guy in school said some really mean things about us and the baby, we had a talk about it, and I want to be the baby's other mother."

Maribel was not expecting that and she just shifted in her seat as she looked between the two girls. "Oh…"

Santana could see the apprehension in her mother's face. "Are you upset?" She asked and she tightened her hold on Brittany's hand. She was confused by her mother's reaction. She knew she loved the baby as well, so she thought she would be ecstatic that she was going to be his grandmother.

"No, I'm not upset." Maribel said shaking her head. "It's just this is a decision that is going to change and mold the rest of your life, Mija. Have you thought about that?"

"I know kids change everything, but really nothing about this has changed from what it was this morning, except that I'm going to be called Mama, instead of Auntie Santana." She didn't understand what her mother was so worried about.

"That's not what I mean, honey." Maribel said and reached for the remote to turn off the TV. "You're eighteen-" She said, but Santana interjected.

"You and Dad got together when you were eighteen, and you were young when you had me. I think you turned out okay."

"Santana, this is completely different. You were a planned pregnancy and I was twenty-four years old when I had you. I was married almost three years, out of college, and established in my career. You two have only been together four months and you're only eighteen; you haven't even started your life yet. All I've ever heard you say since you were twelve years old was that you couldn't wait to get out of Ohio and go to college in either L.A. or New York. Do you honestly think you can have the college experience that you've been dreaming of as a parent? I'm going to tell you right now, you can't. You're not going to be able to live in the dorms, and go to parties, and stay up all night on the weekends hanging out with your friends. You're going to have to come home after school and maybe work, and try to fit in your homework between taking care of the baby, making dinner, running baths, diaper changes…the list goes on and on. They're two different worlds as vastly different as can be."

Now Santana understood what her mother was trying to say. Auntie Santana had the option of having the typical college experience with minimal responsibilities, whereas Mama Santana didn't. Her road would be filled with much more responsibility and it would be the harder of the two options, trying to balance getting an education and supporting a family at the same time.

Santana thought back to when she and Brittany took their SATs earlier in the month; they had to pick five schools to send their scores too. Brittany only had one name, Lima Community, whereas she had Columbia, NYU, and UCLA on her list. They decided to send both of their scores to the same schools, and since they needed a fifth school, they added Ohio State to the list. At the time, she didn't really think too much about any of it, because it was just test scores, not applications to those schools.

She took a few moments to think about what her mother had said, and the more she did, the more she realized that both of them going to college together, away from Lima, would be extremely hard. They wouldn't have her mother to help them. She still had a few years before she earned her pension with the hospital, so she couldn't just quit her job and move with them. That would mean that they would be on their own, in a city away from their family, trying to take care of a baby, going to school, and working whatever minimum wage jobs they could find to earn money for rent, food, and daycare. That was enough to make her head spin, and she quickly came to the conclusion that this option was an impossibility for them at this point in their lives.

Then there was the option where Santana went away to school and Brittany stayed in Lima, which had its own hardships, because while it meant that taking care of the baby would be a lot easier in Lima, it also meant that Santana would have to be away from Brittany and the baby for an extended period of time. They could be apart for weeks or maybe months at a time, and she did not want to do that at all. She was sad just thinking of being away from them like that, so this didn't seem as if it was a viable option to her either.

The third option and the only one that made any sense to her, was the one that her mother had offered to Brittany a few months ago when she was trying to convince her that dropping out of high school wasn't a good idea, and that college was still a possibility for her, even with the baby. They could both stay in Lima, go to school at Lima Community, and they would be able to save money on living expenses and childcare if they continued to live with her mother. It was the more stable option; the only catch would be that Santana had to give up going to New York or L.A., at least for the time being. Maybe one day she would get there, but it was clear that it wasn't in her immediate future.

Maribel took Santana silence as indecision. "Honey, I know this is a lot to process right now, there's a lot to think about, so maybe you need to slow down and just take some time and think things through before you make any decisions. Being a mother is a wonderful and beautiful thing, and I am so proud that you willingly want to take on this responsibility, but before you become this baby's mother, I _need_ you to understand that it isn't something that you can change your mind about when it gets hard or you feel like you're missing out on something else. Once you accept it, it's a lifelong commitment and it shouldn't be entered into lightly.

"I think your mom's right, maybe we shouldn't jump to any decisions too quickly." Brittany said and Santana snapped her head up to look at her.

"Britt…" Santana whispered and scrunched here eyebrows in hurt and confusion. "Have you changed your mind about me being the baby's other mother?"

Brittany shook her head. "No, I meant what I said to you earlier about that, but San, I don't want to get in the way of anything you want to do, and I don't want you to give up your dreams for me. I love you too much for that and I would hate myself if I took those things away from you."

"But you're not." Santana said and she was almost on the verge of tears.

Brittany sighed sadly and she lightly squeezed Santana hands. "Yes I am. I told you earlier, I don't have a choice anymore, but you do."

"So you would be okay if I just left for New York?"

Brittany sighed again, her heart constricting, because of course she wouldn't be okay with that, she'd be devastated, but if it made Santana happy, she would learn to be okay with it. "If that's what you want, then yes."

Santana couldn't believe what she was hearing and she shifted in her seat so she could completely face Brittany. "Britt, listen to me. Yes, it's true that I wanted to go to New York or L.A., but that was something that I wanted _before_ I met you. I had dreams that I made for myself, but after I met you, my dreams started to change to include you. I love you and the baby so much, and if I had to be away from you two, I think it would break my heart. Being with you and the baby is my dream now, and if it means staying in Lima and going to college here, then I'm okay with that, because it means I have you. Maybe one day we'll live in New York or L.A. or maybe we'll end up somewhere else, who knows, but wherever it is, we'll be together, and I can't think of anything better than that."

Brittany had tears welling in her eyes and she took a few shaky breaths to keep herself from breaking down. "You're in my dreams too. You're in all of them. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy. I'm _so_ happy with you." Santana said and she leaned in and kissed Brittany softly.

"I'm happy too." Brittany whispered when they parted.

Santana's heart swelled in her chest and she turned to look at her mother, who had been watching their entire exchange. "Before Brittany, I didn't really know what it meant to be in love or how to love another person so deeply that I wouldn't want to live without them, but then Brittany came into my life and completely changed that. I know we're young and we have a lot of hurdles in front of us, but Mama, this is what I want. I want to be with Brittany. I want to help her raise the baby, and I want to do it as his mother, not his aunt."

For a few seconds, Maribel didn't respond, she just sat there looking at the two girls, thinking. She still thought that Santana was moving too quickly, but she knew there was only so much she could do. Santana was going to do what she wanted to do, especially when she had her mind and heart set on something. All she could do is offer her advice and hope that she at least considered it.

"Well, if that's what you want, then that's what you want." Maribel said.

Santana glanced at Brittany before she asked. "And are you okay with that?" She really hoped that she was because she wanted her mother to be happy for them.

"I am. I told you that I wasn't upset to begin with; I'm just concerned that everything is moving too fast and that you haven't really considered what becoming the baby's mother now is going mean for your future. I assumed that this would happen after a few years if you two stayed together, but I didn't realize that it would be happening so soon. I want you to be happy, and I want you to achieve all your dreams, but I understand that dreams change as we grow up. You're not my little girl anymore, you're an adult now, and you're going to make your own decisions. I may still offer advice or an opinion, but I have to learn to trust and hope that you are going to make responsible adult decisions."

Santana could appreciate her mother's concern, but she felt in her heart of hearts that she was making the right decision. "Mama, I am happy. I'm happier than I have been since Daddy died." She said softly.

"I know you are Mija. I can see it." Maribel said as a pang of sadness flowed through her as she thought about her husband. Not for the first time could she see the parallels in their relationship and Santana and Brittany's. The more she watched the girls' relationship grow, the more they reminded her of her and Nick. They fell hard and fast for each other as well. They were so in love and they couldn't have been happier to be parents together. She had to admit that Santana came by that quality honestly. "I can see how much you two love each other and how much you love the baby. I'm sure you'll make great mothers. He's going to be one loved little guy and if I know you two at all, he's probably going to be spoiled rotten." She said with a chuckle.

Santana and Brittany couldn't help but to chuckle as well. They were sure that was true. In fact they had already started. One top of them deciding not to spend more than forty dollars on Christmas presents for each other, and instead use the money to go towards things the baby would need, while they were at the mall with their friends, they had bought a few cute outfits for him that they had found on sale in Baby Gap and Old Navy.

"If I know _you_ at all, I'm sure we aren't going to the only ones spoiling him. His Abuela will probably spoil him too." Santana added with a wink. She was so happy that even though her mother had been hesitant at first, she was still being supportive. She knew that they would need her on their side.

Maribel felt a mix of emotion hearing Santana call her Abuela. She was only forty-two years old, and she never thought that she would be a grandparent that young, but she loved the baby, and being called Abuela for the first time made her heart swell in her chest.

"Well I spoil you two, so I think it's a given that I'm going to have to spoil my grandbaby. Actually, I think I'm going to have to spoil him even more and then once he's wound up, I'm going to hand him back off to you guys to deal with." She said with a little smirk.

Santana scoffed playfully. "You're evil."

"Hey, it's going to be payback for all those times that you gave me lip as a kid." Maribel said with a shrug.

"I didn't give you lip, I was just opinionated."

"Mm-hmm, a little too much."

"Who do you think I learned it from? It wasn't Daddy."

"Your Abuela, that's who."

Brittany watched Santana and Maribel playfully bicker back and forth and she just smiled, happy that everything seemed as if it was okay. When Maribel didn't immediately embrace their news about the baby, she had been afraid that she was going to be the cause of a problem between them and she never wanted to come between them. She loved the relationship that Santana and Maribel had too much to damage it. She looked up to Maribel and her parenting style, and she could only hope that she and Santana were the kind of mothers that Maribel was; if they were, the baby would have a happy life.

When Maribel relented on her playful teasing on her daughter, she asked them if they were hungry. "I made a lasagna for dinner and for dessert I made a chocolate cake." She had been so worried about how their day was going to go, so she made a meal with comfort foods that both Santana and Brittany loved.

They ate at the mall a little while ago with their friends, so Santana wasn't hungry, but she loved her mother's cooking and thought that Brittany might have been hungry. She knew that she felt self-conscious when she ate alone, so Santana nodded and said, "I could eat."

"Me too." Brittany said with a relieved smile. "All this kid does is eat. I think I'm going to give birth to a ten pound baby."

At her last doctor appointment, she was right at the beginning of her third trimester. She tested negative for gestational diabetes and when the baby was weighed, he was around two and a half pounds, which was right on target. He was progressing normally and still showing signs of being healthy.

Maribel chuckled. "I felt that way about Santana too, but she was right at seven pounds. She was so tiny…and angry." She said chuckling again. "Did I ever tell you the story about how she slapped the nurse and kicked the doctor?"

Brittany's eyes widened in amusement. "No! But I wanna hear it."

"It's a good story." Maribel said standing up and motioning for them to follow her into the kitchen so she could heat up the food.

Santana groaned as they followed her. "Mama, we do _not_ need to have story time." She was sure that it wouldn't stop at that story. Her mother would spill all of her embarrassing childhood stories.

"Oh yes we do." Maribel said with a smirk. "Your girlfriend is clearly interested and I am not going to deny a pregnant woman what she wants."

"Yeah, San. I wanna know." Brittany said flashing Santana a hopeful look.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Fine." She huffed. There was no getting out of it.

As predicted, Maribel didn't stop at the story of Santana 'beating up' up her nurse and doctor after her birth. All throughout dinner, Maribel told Brittany story after story about Santana. Some that she hadn't heard before and some that she already knew, but since Maribel had an animated way of telling them, Brittany asked to hear them again.

All seemed to be going well by the time dessert rolled around. Maribel was enjoying telling stories, Brittany was enjoying learning more about Santana, and Santana was actually enjoying the trip down memory lane, even if she had been quite embarrassed a few times. They were just finishing up and planning to watch a movie together when Santana's phone started ringing. She raised her eyebrow in surprise, because they had just left their friends and she wasn't expecting to hear from any of them for the rest of the night. She picked up her phone that had been face down on the table, and when she saw who the caller was; her face fell.

"Who is it?" Brittany asked when she noticed Santana's expression change.

Santana just stared at the phone as she answered. "It's Marcus."

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Whew! There was a lot going on in this chapter, I hope you all liked this long update! For those that sent messages or reviews expressing concern about Marcus being written out of the story, I told you that you would see him again, so keep an eye out for the next chapter to see why he's calling.

I love reviews! Your feedback on the story really helps me as I continue to write. If you have a moment, please send me your thoughts. Also, I know the holidays are over, but I'm still working on **A Very Merry Vacation** , which if you haven't read it, is the sequel to **Santana's Elf**. Check it out if you haven't, and the next chapter for that story should be out soon. My beta has the update and promised to have it back to me as soon as possible.

Speaking of my beta, **naynay1963** , she's been putting in so much time with me the last few weeks since I've been sending her updates for two stories, so she deserves all the thanks. I couldn't do this without her to polish out the typos.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The phone continued to ring as Santana's thumb hovered over the screen, debating whether she should answer or not. She definitely had not been expecting the caller to be Marcus. Since he moved to Florida, they had kept in touch, mostly through texts and occasional phone calls, but she could guess why he chose that night of all nights to call her, and it made her nervous.

"Are you going to answer?" Maribel asked.

"Umm..." Santana said in an unsure tone, her thumb still hovering over the screen.

Another couple of seconds passed and then the phone stopped ringing. Santana just stared at the missed call message until her phone chimed a few moments later, indicating that she had a text message. She clicked on it and read, _"Call me. I need to talk to you."_

While tone was hard to tell from a text message, this message wasn't like any of his other messages. She thought this one seemed to be purposely stoic and vague, and her nervousness about talking to him increased.

She looked up from her phone and saw her mother and Brittany staring back at her.

"I'll call him back later." She said, but judging by the looks on both of their faces, neither of them thought that was a good idea.

"Mija, you have to tell him." Maribel simply said.

Santana sighed. "I'm sure he already knows and that's why he was calling. Someone from school probably told him."

"But he should hear it from you." Brittany said.

When she first met Marcus, she had been jealous that he was dating Santana, but once she moved past the jealousy, she saw him for the nice guy that he truly was. She was sure that if the circumstances had been different, they could have been friends. She didn't want to see him hurt and she thought that he deserved to hear the news about them from Santana.

"I know; I'm just nervous." Santana said. Marcus was still one of her best friends and she missed his company, but she wasn't expecting the happy reception that she got from the rest of her friends about her and Brittany.

"Honey, he's your friend. He's probably confused right now and unsure of what to think. I didn't pick up on the fact that you're gay, and I'm your mother. He's your friend, but also your ex-boyfriend that I know was head over heels for you, so I'm sure he didn't either. God only knows who might have called him, and what they might have said to him, so you should call him and talk to him about it."

Brittany just nodded, agreeing with Maribel.

Santana knew they were right, but it didn't make calling him any easier. "Okay." She said with a sigh and stood up. "I'll go call him."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Brittany asked.

Santana shook her head. She had no idea how this call was going to go, and she didn't want anything that might be said to hurt her feelings. "No, I should probably do this alone. I'll meet you guys down here afterwards."

"Okay." Brittany said with a smile that she hoped looked encouraging.

Santana went up to her room, turned on the light, and sat on her bed. She stared at Marcus' text message for several minutes before she gathered the courage to press the call button. She took a few deep, calming breaths as she waited for him to pick up.

" _Hello."_ He said, and Santana could already hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"Hey." Santana said softly. "Sorry I missed your call."

" _I thought you might have been ignoring me."_ He said, clearly hurt.

"No, we were just finishing up dinner. Mom made lasagna." She said.

" _Oh okay."_ He said and then an uncomfortable silence settled on the line before Marcus finally said, _"Is it true? Are you dating Brittany?"_

"Yes." Santana said, and it took everything in her to keep her voice steady when she answered.

Marcus sighed heavily. _"Since when?"_

"August." Santana said honestly and she prepared herself for the outburst that she was sure was coming next.

" _August?"_ Marcus said incredulously, his voice a little louder than it had been. _"Santana,_ _ **we**_ _broke up in August and you started dating Brittany the same month? Are you serious right now? I was devastated that I was moving and we had to break up! I was so upset about it that I could barely talk to you for a while because it was torture talking to you and not being able to be with you, but obviously, you didn't feel the same way if you were able to move on so quickly. I mean, did you even care? You two had all summer together; did you even wait until we broke up to get together?"_

Santana winced at his words. They came out harsh, but she didn't blame him. He was upset. He had been completely blindsided by her relationship with Brittany. "I didn't cheat on you. It's true I started to have feelings for her before we broke up, but Brittany and I didn't get together until after you and I broke up, _and_ of course I cared for you. I've missed you every day since you left, but it's…it's just complicated."

" _Complicated? God Santana, this is…you're going to have to explain this to me, because right now I'm so…I'm hurt. I love you, and I really thought that you loved me back; you just didn't know how to say it. You've never been open with expressing your feelings, so I just thought you needed time to be able to say the words."_

"Marcus…" Santana started to say, her voice cracking. She was almost in tears because she hated that he was so upset and she was the reason for it. "I do love you. I care for you so much, you're one of my best friends, but…I don't love you in the way that you want me to." She said and she heard him sigh again and then sniffle. "I wanted to love you like that. You're the only guy that I've ever been with that I thought I could love that way, and I really tried, but when I met Brittany, I started to feel things that I had never felt before. It really freaked me out and I fought against it because I didn't want to have those kinds of feelings for another girl, but after a while, I realized that no matter how much I tried or how much time I gave it, I would never have those feelings for you, or any guy." She said and her heart was racing. "It took me a while to accept it, but I'm gay."

" _God, I can't-believe this."_ He said sighed, his voice breaking. He sniffled a few times trying to stop his tears. _"Why didn't you tell me any of this before now? Why did I have to hear it from someone else?"_

"I wanted to be the one to tell you, but I couldn't bring myself to come out for a long time. Today was the first day I was able to do it. I was going to call you after Christmas to tell you, because I didn't know how you would take it, and if you got upset, I didn't want it to affect your holiday. I just didn't think that someone would call you before I did, which I should have thought about that, and I'm so sorry you found out that way." She said her voice strained. She had tears running down her face, but she had to continue because he deserved to hear the whole story. "I never wanted to hurt you. I was sad that you had to move away, but I was also kinda relieved because it meant that we could break up and it wouldn't be because I was gay or because I realized that I couldn't love you the way you deserved to be loved. I thought if you thought the only reason we broke up was because you were moving, you wouldn't be as hurt and eventually you'd meet someone else."

" _I haven't even thought about dating anyone because I was hoping that after we graduated we could get back together and go to the same college. I was just waiting for us to get our SAT scores and then I was going to talk to you about which schools we should apply for…but now it looks like that isn't ever going to happen."_

Santana sighed and wiped her face. "No…I guess it didn't matter what I did, either way I was going to hurt you. I'm sorry."

" _I'm sorry too."_

For the next couple of minutes, neither of them said anything. They just sat there, trying to calm down as they mulled over their feelings and conversation.

When Marcus spoke again, his voice was still somber, but he wasn't crying and seemed more composed. _"Do you love her?"_ He asked.

Santana had not been expecting that question at all, but she nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Yes. I love her very much."

" _And does she love you back? Does she treat you well?"_

"Yes." Santana said with a little smile, despite her sadness. "To be honest, I could have been the one to treat her better. I had a hard time accepting that I was gay and coming out terrified me, but she never pushed me. She was always supportive and helped me though my moments of gay panic."

" _That's good."_ He said. _"So, you're happy?"_

"Yeah. I really am."

" _That's good too."_ He said and then he paused for a few moments. " _I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but I'm glad you're happy. That's all I ever wanted. Brittany seems like a great person."_

"Thanks." Santana said surprised, because that was more than she could have expected from him. "I wish that you were happy too." She said wishing that she could take away his pain.

" _I'll be okay eventually. It's just going to take me some time to really work through all of this; I can't erase my feelings for you overnight."_

"I know." Santana said. "But just so you know, I still care for you as much as I did before. I still consider you one of my best friends, but if you don't want to be my friend anymore, then I understand." She would be sad to lose him completely, but she understood that it wasn't totally up to her. He had a say too.

" _I'm still your friend. I just need time to make my heart understand that that is all you can be."_

Santana couldn't believe how big he was being about it all. She was sure most guys who heard that their ex-girlfriend was gay would either dismiss it as a temporary experimental phase, or be upset about it because it bruised their ego and made it seem as if they were less of a man because their girlfriend 'jumped to the other team' after them, but Marcus wasn't like that. He didn't dismiss what she said, or question whether she was sure about her sexuality, and he was genuinely sad because he was in love with her and he wanted them to be together again. Then, after being devastated that his feelings would never be returned, he told her that he was happy that she was happy. It just further reinforced what she already knew…he was an amazing guy.

"You're a great guy, Marcus. You really are the best and you deserve all the happiness in the world." She said. "I'm really lucky to have you as my friend, and any straight girl would be lucky to have you as her boyfriend."

" _Thanks, Santana."_ He said and they fell into an awkward pause again. _"So I guess I'm going to go."_

"Okay, sure."

" _I'll…I'll call you when I clear my head. I just need some time."_

"Yeah, I get it." Santana said.

" _Tell your mom and Brittany I said hi."_ He said and Santana could hear the hurt in his voice as he said Brittany's name.

"I will. If your mom and sisters don't hate me after this, tell them I said hi too."

Despite how sad he was, he couldn't help but to chuckle. A real, genuine chuckle. _"I'm sure they'll be surprised to hear that you're gay, but they won't hate you for that. And I believe you when you say you didn't cheat on me, so they'll be okay with that too. I think you're good with them."_

Santana chuckled a little too. "I guess we'll see."

" _Yeah."_ He said and then he sighed. Santana could hear the downhearted resignation behind it. _"Have a good Christmas Santana."_

"You too."

" _Bye."_

"Bye." Santana whispered and then he hung up.

Santana brought the phone down from her ear and she just stared at it for a few minutes. Even though Marcus said they were still friends, she hoped that after he had more time to think about things, he wouldn't change his mind and this would be the last time she ever talked to him.

She eventually plugged in her phone, intending to leave it in her room while she was downstairs with her mom and Brittany. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone else. In fact, she wasn't in the mood to watch a movie either. She was tired and would have loved to just go to bed for the rest of the night. It had been an emotional day filled with highs and lows that kept swinging from one extreme to the other.

She took a few more minutes and sat in her bed, appreciating the peace and quiet of her room before she changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas. She felt more comfortable after changing. She grabbed Brittany's pajamas that were sitting on the foot of the bed so she wouldn't have to walk upstairs to get them, before she went into the bathroom to wash off her now ruined makeup. As she washed away her mascara tear tracks for a second time that day, she couldn't help but to replay her day in her mind.

She still couldn't believe that she came out, but she had done it willingly, and she was proud of herself for publicly acknowledging her sexuality. A few month ago, it was a feat that didn't seem as if it would ever be possible. She was sorry that Marcus had been hurt by it, but she was thankful she still had friends, the whole school didn't hate her, and even though she had to deal with Josh Colman's ignorance, it resulted in her becoming the baby's mother. She couldn't believe it, but as she thought about it, she realized that it had actually been one of the best days of her life. A very tiring, emotional day, but it was still one of the best nonetheless.

When she went downstairs, she found her mother and Brittany sitting in the living room, the glow of the Christmas tree and the TV illuminating the room.

"How'd it go?" Maribel asked, turning down the TV.

Santana sighed and flopped down beside Brittany on the couch, setting her pajamas in her lap. "It was brutal. I was right, he already knew. He's really hurt."

Maribel nodded because she expected as much.

"Are you okay?" Brittany asked taking Santana's hand.

"I mean, I'm okay, I'm just sad that he's sad, but after we talked, he told me that he was still my friend, and that he was happy for us. He said he'd call me whenever he cleared his head, but who knows when that will be. I'm kinda afraid he's never going to talk to me again."

"Honey, you know that isn't true." Maribel said. "Marcus was your friend long before he was your boyfriend."

"I know, but this is different. I didn't just hurt his feelings, I broke his heart." Santana sighed. "He told me that he hasn't dated anyone and he was hoping that after we graduated that we could get back together and go to the same college. He was planning to have a future with me that I told him I didn't want. I don't know if there is any coming back from that."

"He just needs some time to get used to it and to get over you." Maribel said. "Feelings take time to heal, but they will eventually heal. I'm sure once his does, you'll hear from him, but it may take a little while."

Santana sighed again. "I know."

"It'll be okay." Brittany whispered before she kissed her on her cheek. "I didn't know Marcus that well, but I think your mom's right. He just needs time."

"I hope so." Santana said with a flat smile.

"Do you still feel like watching a movie?" Brittany asked.

Santana nodded even though she still would have liked to go to bed instead, but she didn't want to wallow in self-pity. "Yeah. Let's watch something funny though." She wasn't sure she could stomach a sappy, emotional Christmas movie. She had had enough drama for one day.

-()-()-()-()-

That night when they went to bed, Santana curled onto her side, facing Brittany, and let out a relieved sigh as she linked their fingers together.

"Are you feeling any better? I know you were distracted about Marcus all night, even though you tried not to let it show." Brittany asked.

"I'm okay, just worried that I'm going to lose my friend, but if I do, I'll just have to deal with it. I made my choice to be with you over him, so he has to make his choice about whether he can still be my friend after that."

"Yeah, I guess so. I hope it works out though. I like him."

"Yeah, me too." Santana said with a sigh and changed the subject. "I'm exhausted. I haven't been this tired in a while."

Brittany giggled, despite her own tiredness. "I know baby. I'm tired too. I feel like today was so long."

"Me too. So much happened. It doesn't feel like it could all happen in the _same_ day."

Brittany chuckled again. "For real."

There was a quiet pause for a few moments before Santana said, "It was still a good day though, even if it did have a few bumps in it."

Brittany smiled and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Santana's lips. "It was a good day. It really made me so happy to tell everyone."

"Me too, Britt-Britt." Santana cooed. "I know I thought that it would be the worst thing in the world, but even though people were talking about us, and we had to deal with that fucker Josh, I'm glad we came out. I feel so much lighter now. I loved being able to be your girlfriend in front of other people."

"I love it too." Brittany said. "Actually you know what else I loved about today?"

"What?"

"The way you handled Josh. His face was priceless when you grabbed ahold of him. He was totally terrified of you. I mean, I'm not one to condone violence, but I think that's the only thing he would respond to, and he needed to be put in his place. I'm sure he would have kept bothering us if you hadn't."

"It wasn't just me, babe. He was scared of you too. Every time you came near him, he backed away. You must have really hurt him last time."

"I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out, but my hand really hurt after I punched him, so I hope he hurt just as much."

"I think he got the message from both of us. I doubt we'll have any issues from him again."

"That's because we make one badass team."

The giggle that escaped Santana's lips after that comment probably would have made anyone question her 'badassness'. "Yeah we are! Bitches best watch out if they know what's good for them."

Brittany just laughed at Santana's silliness and she leaned in, kissing her again. It started out playful, but then it slowed down until their kisses were soft and lingering."

When they parted, Santana rested their foreheads together. "You wanna know what my favorite part about today was?"

"Hmm?" Brittany hummed.

"Me becoming the baby's other mom." Santana said and her heart fluttered as she thought about him. "I just wish Mom had been a little more enthusiastic about it when we told her."

Brittany sighed. "I know, but let's be realistic; you have to admit she made some valid points. I got pregnant by accident, and I don't think I would have been so quick to jump into motherhood if I hadn't. I was so scared when I found out I was going to have a baby. If it wasn't for your mom taking me in, I'd be in so much trouble and everything would be so much harder. Even with help, it's going to be hard trying to balance everything, and she just doesn't want you to have to face those same hardships and give up things that you've wanted since you were a kid if you don't have to."

"I know that, I never wanted to be a mother this young either, but Britt, I love you so much, and I love this baby." She said putting one of her hands on Brittany's belly. "I didn't think I could love someone so much that I haven't even met yet. I want to be his mother. I know it isn't going to be easy, and you're right I'll have to leave some old dreams behind, but he is more important to me than college parties, drinking, clubbing, and whatever else college kids do when they aren't in class. I'd rather have a family with you and him than any of that and I don't know why that's considered so outrageous."

Brittany's heart melted in her chest. Whenever Santana said stuff like that, it made her love her even more. "It's not outrageous; it's just that most people aren't like that."

"Well, I'm not most people."

"No you're not." Brittany said and kissed Santana softly on the lips. "You're one of a kind, and I don't know what I did to get so lucky to not only find you, but to make you fall in love with me."

"You didn't do anything, you were just you." Santana cooed. "And I'm the lucky one. I got you and the baby. Ain't nothin' better than that."

"I love you." Brittany breathed and leaned in, kissing Santana deeply.

Santana eagerly returned the kiss that lingered between them for several minutes. When they finally parted, both a little winded, Santana nuzzled her nose with Brittany's. "I love you too."

Brittany sighed contently and held onto Santana a little tighter.

"Let's go to sleep, Britt." Santana whispered. "We're both tired. It's been a long day, and I wanna end it with getting my cuddle on."

"Sounds perfect." Brittany mumbled, halfway to dreamland as she rolled over so Santana could hold her from behind.

-()-()-()-()-

A few days later, at six-thirty on Christmas morning, Brittany couldn't contain her excitement anymore. She had been awake for over an hour, but she didn't want to wake Santana up that early. They didn't go to bed until after midnight, so she waited until she couldn't keep still anymore. She leaned over, peppering soft kisses across Santana's face until she started to stir.

"Merry Christmas." Brittany cooed as she traced the shell of Santana's ear with her nose.

"Mury Crimas." Santana mumbled sleepily. "It's morning?"

"Mm-hmm." Brittany hummed.

"It's still dark." Santana said rolling into Brittany, tucking her head, and burying her face in the crook of her neck.

"I know, but its Christmas, you're not allowed to sleep in on Christmas. It's in the rules."

"There's a rule book for Christmas?"

"Yeah, duh! It's in the North Pole with Santa. Where else would it be."

Santana couldn't help but to giggle. She loved how Brittany's mind worked. "Well is there at least a 'five more minutes' clause that I can use before you enforce The Christmas Rules?"

"I let you sleep for over an hour." Brittany said matter-of-factly. "But if you need five more minutes, you can have it, but only if you cuddle."

Santana smiled into Brittany's neck, putting her arm around her as she scooted a little closer and tangled their legs. "I always want to cuddle."

They laid in bed for fifteen more minutes, which was only possible because Santana was trailing her fingers up and down Brittany's spine. She loved it when Santana did that, so she let them stay in bed a little longer, but even one of her weaknesses was not enough for her to be lulled back to sleep.

"I know what you're doing, and it's not going to work." Brittany said playfully.

"I'm not doing anything." Santana said innocently.

"Mm-hmm." Brittany said not believing her. "Are you ready to get up yet?"

"Yeah." Santana said rolling onto her back. "I don't know how you're awake so early."

"Christmas is my favorite holiday and I'm just excited to spend it with you."

"I'm excited too." Santana said and kissed Brittany softly.

Once they were out of bed and they had visited the bathroom, they were surprised to see Maribel coming out of her room.

"Merry Christmas!" Brittany chirped.

"Merry Christmas." Maribel said with a warm smile.

"You're up already?" Santana said. She thought that they were going to have to wake her.

"I got a sense last night that _someone_ ," she stressed looking directly at Brittany with a playful expression, "was going to be too excited to sleep, so I knew I better get up early and start breakfast."

"Breakfast sounds amazing." Brittany said.

"Great, you girls can help me cook." Maribel said. It was a tradition in the Lopez house that there was always a big family breakfast on Christmas morning, with everyone's favorite foods.

That amount of food that was made and consumed that morning was impressive and by the time that everyone had finished eating, they were stuffed, so much so that Santana was a short period of inactivity away of falling asleep again.

"Is it time for presents?" Brittany asked with a little bounce and Santana couldn't understand how she had so much energy.

"Of course it is… _after_ we do the dishes." Maribel said.

Brittany pouted and Santana groaned. "Ugh, Mama, that's cruel. It's Christmas."

"That's life Mija. Dishes don't care what day of the year it is."

"Fine." Santana grumbled and forced herself to stand up.

Thankfully, with three of them to help, the dishes didn't take long and then they were off to the living room to open presents.

Most of the gifts under the tree were for the baby. They already knew what they were, but Brittany wanted to wrap them in paper and put them under the tree to take pictures for a photo album that she was planning to make for the baby. Once they opened the baby's stuff, cooing over the cuteness of everything a second time (because it was all just so adorable), Brittany handed Santana her gift.

Santana happily took it, pulling off the red and green Santa wrapping paper to reveal a large book bound with a canvas-like fabric. There was a picture of her and Brittany in a cutout in the middle of the cover and above the picture the words, "The Story of Us" was embroidered in gold cursive, and below the picture it said, "Written by Santana and Brittany" in the same gold embroidery.

Santana smiled as she ran her fingers over the stitching before she opened the book to find more pictures…some of them together, some by themselves, and some with other people. Every picture had a message written beside it in different color ink and some even had stickers to enhance the moment that the photo had captured. She took a few minutes to flip through the pages to look at the pictures and to read what Brittany had written.

"Brittany." Santana cooed looking up at her lovingly. "It's beautiful, I love it so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Brittany smiled widely. "There's a hundred pages in there. I only used twenty so we have plenty of room to put new pictures."

"How did you manage to make this?" Santana asked. She and Brittany spent a lot of time together, so she wasn't sure where she found the time to buy everything and work on the book without her noticing.

"I had a little help." Brittany said glancing at Maribel. "After your mom found out about us at Thanksgiving, I told her what I wanted to do for you for Christmas, so she ordered the book and printed the pictures from my phone while we were at school and hid them in her room. I fibbed a little too. Remember when I told you that Mercedes and I were working on a project for our class?"

"Yeah."

"It wasn't true. I told Mercedes that I needed her to cover for me in case you asked about our meeting because I was working on your Christmas present. I really met your mom at the public library and she gave me everything. I was there for hours putting it together."

Santana looked up at her mother. "Thanks Mama."

"I didn't do that much, but you're welcome Mija."

"I really love our book." Santana said leaning in and kissing Brittany softly on the lips. "I can't wait to add more to it."

"Me too." Brittany said and then held up her phone to take a picture. "Say cheese!"

Santana posed with her new book, smiling widely, despite her makeup free face and slept on hair.

"Oh, I love that one." Brittany said commenting on the picture as Santana reached over to grab Brittany's gift.

She waited almost impatiently as Brittany carefully opened the shiny snowflake paper instead of just ripping it open like she had.

"I wanna save the paper from our gifts." She said, instinctively knowing what Santana was thinking. "We can use it for the book when we put in these pictures."

"Okay." Santana said with a little smile.

Once the paper had safely been set aside, Brittany opened the unassuming box to find four wooden picture frames that were in the shape of puzzle pieces. She gasped as she pulled them out of the box. "San, these are amazing!"

Santana giggled a little. "I guess we were thinking along the same line when we were deciding on gifts."

"Great minds think alike." Brittany cooed and leaned in to kiss Santana. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Santana said with another little giggle. "I lucked out and found these on the last day they were doing a two for one sale, so I was able to get four frames instead of two. These are just the basic frames, but they connect. There was a whole bunch more to choose from, and they can be personalized too, but since we're on a budget, I thought that this could get us started and then when we have more money we can buy more to add to the set."

"I love the puzzle idea." Brittany said. "I never would have thought about it, but it's a perfect metaphone for us."

"That's what I thought too." Santana said knowing that Brittany meant to say 'metaphor'. The first thing she thought when she saw the frames was that she and Brittany were puzzle pieces that were made only for each other.

"Where did you find these?" Brittany asked because she couldn't remember seeing the frames in any of the stores that they went into.

"Online. Mom had to order them for me since I don't have a credit card, and she hid them in her room as well."

"I'm like Santa's elf, but better." Maribel said with a little chuckle.

"Yeah you are." Brittany giggled.

"Okay, smile for me!" Santana said holding up Brittany's phone.

Brittany held up two of the frames and smiled as Santana took her picture. Then Maribel offered to take a picture of both of them together in front of the tree.

"That's a really good one." Brittany commented as she looked at the picture. "I wanna put that one in one of the frames."

"Sure, whatever you want." Santana said easily agreeing before she picked up Maribel's gift and gave it to her.

"We went in together on it." Santana said, explaining why there was only one gift for her instead of two.

Maribel smiled thankfully and then opened the paper to reveal a small bottle of perfume. Her heart both sank and swelled at the same time. She had a few different kinds of perfume that she liked, but this one, Dolce and Gabbana, was her favorite. She had first sampled it while she and Nick were at the mall one day, but ultimately she decided not to buy it. They were newly married and Nick still had a year of medical school left, so money was tight at the time, but Nick secretly saved the money and bought it for her for Christmas. She had been so surprised and liked the gift so much that it turned into a tradition and he gave it to her every year after that. This was the first time since he died that she had gotten it as a Christmas gift.

If fact, though it was never verbalized between them, both she and Santana felt as if this holiday season was the first one since he died that they felt genuinely happy and weren't just going through the motions because they had to. Of course, they still felt a hole where he should have been in their lives, but they finally felt as if they were really starting to move on.

"Sorry it's the small bottle." Santana said softly. "We couldn't afford the big one like Daddy used to get you."

"That doesn't matter." Maribel said and leaned over wrapping an arm around each girl, hugging them tightly. "Thank you both. This is such a sweet gift. It brings back so many good memories."

"You're welcome." Brittany and Santana both whispered.

Santana was just so happy that they were able to give her mother a gift that had so much meaning to her.

Maribel held onto the girls for a few more moments before she let go of them. She had a tear in her left eye that she wiped away, determined not to cry. "Okay, your turn." She said, but before she could reach for the gifts, Brittany stopped her.

"Wait! We have to take your picture!" She chirped and looked around for her phone.

"Oh yes, we can't forget that." She said and held up her bottle of perfume, smiling widely as Brittany took her picture.

"Okay, now one with Santana." Brittany said and scooted out of the way so Santana could move beside Maribel.

Santana playfully rolled her eyes.

"I think we have a photographer in the family." Maribel joked.

"Please, we already have one. I swear you took so many pictures of me as a kid, I was considering telling you I was allergic so you wouldn't take so many." Santana fake huffed as she sat next to her.

Maribel snorted. "As if, you were a little ham. Every time I brought out the camera, you'd smile and pose, sometimes in the most ridiculous ways. You loved being in front of the camera. It wasn't until you became a teenager that you started to get huffy about it, because it _'wasn't cool Mama'._ " She said, imitating Santana.

"I believe it. I bet she was a little ham." Brittany said sticking her tongue out at Santana.

"Whatever." Santana rolling her eyes again, knowing what her mother said was true. "It's not like it stopped you, we have like a million pictures of me."

"Well I think Brittany is going to take over the photographer role for now, and once the baby gets here, I'm sure all of us will be taking his picture all the time. Although, I think Brittany has a natural talent for it. She always takes great pictures." Maribel said wrapping her arm around Santana's and holding her close.

"I just like taking pictures. I think they're fun. Okay, smile for me!" Brittany said and once she was sure they were ready, she took their picture. "Yep that's another good one for our book!" She said and showed it to them.

"That is cute." Santana said and Maribel hummed in agreement.

Santana moved so she could sit next to Brittany again, and Maribel reached under the tree to pull out two small envelops.

"I got you two joint gifts as well, so this is for both of you." Maribel said and handed each girl an envelope.

They opened the envelopes to reveal a gift card in each.

"Gift cards to Lowes and Sheets-N-Things." Santana said looking at the two cards.

It seemed as if it was a random gift, but she knew her mother always gave meaningful gifts…she just couldn't figure out what the significance was at the moment. She looked at Brittany to see if she understood it, but she seemed just as unsure.

"You two are kinda lost, aren't you?" Maribel said with a little smile.

"A little." Santana said and Brittany nodded.

"I figured I'd have to explain it to you." Maribel said with a little chuckle. "I gave you the gift cards so you two could redecorate Santana's room and turn it into _your_ room together. Brittany hardly ever sleeps in her room. She basically just uses it as a big closet to keep her clothes. Before I knew about you two being together, we talked about rearranging Brittany's room so we could add a crib and a changing table for the baby, but since you two have essentially chosen to share Santana's room, I figured we could turn Brittany's room into a full nursery. We can put a futon in there in case anyone wants to sleep in there with him, and Santana's room can officially become both of yours. There's enough money on the cards for you to buy paint, a new bed spread and sheets, and a few little accessories."

"That's a great idea." Santana said, her heart fluttering at the idea of officially sharing a room with Brittany

"I love it!" Brittany said. "I can't wait to go look at stuff now!"

"Me either." Santana agreed.

Neither of them had thought about redecorating the room before, probably because they had their own rooms, even though they used Santana's most of the time, but the room was distinctly 'Santana', so a makeover was a great way for them to make the room feel more like their own.

"Thanks Mama." Santana said and leaned over to hug her. Brittany leaned in as well to join in on the hug, whispering her thanks in Maribel's ear.

"You two are welcome." Maribel said as they pulled out of the embrace. "I'm excited to see how it turns out."

"What about Blue for the walls?" Britany asked thoughtfully.

"What kind of blue?"

"Like a sky blue."

"I don't know…"

"How about Pink?"

Santana scrunched her nose in disgust. "God no!"

"Oooo, I got it. Pastels!" Brittany cheered with an excited clap of her hands.

Santana looked horrified. "No. Absolutely not. That's even worse than pink!"

"Santana, the room is dark green, black, and gray…it's like a few steps away from being camo." Brittany said flatly.

"First of all, it's not camo." Santana clarified. "Far from it and you said you liked the way my room looked."

"I do like it, but I was hoping we could lighten it up a bit?"

"So you jump to pastels?"

Brittany shrugged. "Yeah."

Santana shook her head, still horrified that Brittany wanted a pastel color, or actually, knowing Brittany, it could be multiple pastel colors. She loved her, and she would give her almost anything she wanted, but she would draw the line at making their room look like an Easter egg.

A moment later Maribel started chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Santana asked.

Maribel just smiled, but Santana thought it looked like an amused smirk. "Oh nothing, you two lovebirds have just entered that phase of domestic bliss called 'learning to compromise'. This is going to be so much fun to watch."

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : And there you go! Santana finally had that hard talk with Marcus, and Brittany and Santana are _officially_ 'moving in with each other'. I hope you all liked this chapter. If you get the chance, please let me know your thoughts. It seems like every day fewer and fewer people are reading Brittana stories, which is understandable. Shows with new content are bound to interest more people, so if you're still reading my Brittana fics, I'd just like to say thank you!

 **Naynay1963** , thank you for proofreading and giving me all your support.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Santana was shocked. She stood, staring bewildered at the door that Brittany had hastily ushered her out of and slammed in her face. She couldn't believe that Brittany kicked her out of their bedroom.

"Britt, come on-" she tried to say, but Brittany cut her off. _"No, leave me alone!"_ She heard muffled from the other side.

"Brittany, I-"

" _Go away!"_

Santana sighed heavily. She thought about tempting fate and going back into the room to try to smooth things over. She put her hand on the doorknob, but before she turned it to see if it was locked, she decided to give Brittany the space she asked for, so she moped down the stairs and into the kitchen. She sat at the table for a while, sulking and thinking about Brittany until she couldn't sit still anymore. She needed to do something, so she decided to make dinner.

When Maribel came in from work, it only took her a few seconds to realize that something was wrong. "What happened?"

Santana scrunched her eyebrows. She had no idea how her mother could know that something was wrong less than five seconds after she walked in the room. "What makes you think something happened?"

Maribel rolled her eyes. "Mija, the sad look on your face gave it away, but even if you were better at hiding it, the fact that Brittany is nowhere to be seen, and that you are keeping yourself busy by cooking, and might I add, _burning_ the food, means you are distracted and thinking about something else. I swear Santana; we cannot have another two weeks where you two pretend that nothing is wrong and everyone is miserable, so tell me what happened?"

Santana sighed, took the pan off the burner, and set it off to the side. "I don't know what happened. Everything was fine, we were up in the bedroom hanging out, and the next thing I know she kicked me out of the room! It was scary, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mama. She just flipped a switch."

Maribel raised an eyebrow in doubt. "Mm-hmm…what did you do to upset her?"

"Nothing!" Santana insisted.

"Okay, what were you two talking about or doing before she kicked you out?"

"When we got home from school, she was tired so I suggested we go up upstairs. We were sitting on the bed watching T.V. and I was rubbing her feet because she said they hurt. She said something about her feet being swollen and her toes looking like little sausages, and I agreed that her feet were pretty swollen, and the next thing I know she's going on about how I thought she was a fat pig and had ugly feet. When I tried to say that I didn't say that, she started yelling at me for calling her liar, and then I had a door slammed in my face."

Maribel tried to hold it in, but she couldn't help but to laugh a little. She was wondering when something like this was going to happen.

"Mama, it's not funny." Santana grumbled. Brittany had never been that mad at her before and she didn't know how to deal with it, especially since she was sure she didn't do anything wrong.

"She's overly sensitive right now. She's thirty-four weeks pregnant, uncomfortable in her own body, and dealing with mood swings and hormones that she can't control. Imagine how you would be."

"I wouldn't accuse her of thinking I was a fat pig and then kick her out of our room." Santana said crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, tell me that when you're pregnant." Maribel snorted. "Honey, when I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with you, I got mad at your father for all kinds of irrational things, and a couple of times he was kicked out of our room too. He didn't really do anything to deserve it, but I was easily set off and sometimes I took it out on him. I'll tell you though, when I got past whatever I was mad at him for, I would get upset again and start crying because I realized I got upset with him for no reason and he wasn't there with me. Sometimes, I felt like I was losing my mind because my emotions were all over the place and I couldn't always control them."

Santana dropped her arms from her chest and nervously played her fingers. She hated that Brittany was probably feeling that way too. She wanted to help her, but she was at a loss. "What should I do?"

"How long ago did she kick you out?"

"About an hour ago." Santana said shrugging her shoulders.

"Why don't you go knock on the door and tell her you love her. I bet she's ready to see you again."

Santana nodded and started to walk towards the stairs.

"Oh and Mija…just remember that she's probably more upset than you are right now. She's feeling out of control, so be extra gentle with her."

"Okay, I will."

"I'll see if I can salvage dinner." Maribel said looking at the stove and the mess Santana had made.

"Sorry." Santana squeaked. This was the second time she had burned dinner while she was distracted about Brittany.

"It's okay. Go see your girl and make up."

"Thanks, Mama."

Santana crept up there stars and tiptoed down the hallway to the bedroom door. She listened for a few seconds, hoping to hear something that would tell her what kind of emotional state Brittany was in, but unfortunately, she couldn't hear anything, not even the T.V. She took a few deep, calming breaths before she gently knocked on the door.

"Britt-Britt…I'm so sorry for upsetting you. I love you….Can I come in?"

There was no answer, and Santana thought she might have fallen asleep, but just as she was about to knock again, Brittany opened the door, her face long and sad.

"Hey." Santana said softly.

"Hi." Brittany mumbled, and within seconds, she burst into tears, her head dropping, and her arms falling limp at her sides.

"Oh Britt." Santana said stepping into the bedroom and pulling Brittany into her, holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry!" Brittany cried as she wrapped her arms around Santana and tucked her nose into her neck. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize." Santana cooed as she ran one of her hands down Brittany's back, over her long hair. Tears were starting to form in her eyes as well because she hated seeing Brittany so upset.

"No, it's not okay…I was so mean to you…and you didn't do anything." Brittany whimpered and held Santana tighter. "I'm so sorry."

Santana turned her head and kissed Brittany on her temple. "I'm not mad at you, sweetheart. I love you so much." She said and then coaxed Brittany to look at her. She kissed her softly on the lips. "Come on, let's go lay down." She said as she maneuvered them over to the bed. She slid into bed, never letting go of Brittany's hand and gently pulled, urging her to follow.

Brittany got into bed and curled into Santana side. "I'm so sorry." She said again as she buried her face into the crook of Santana's neck.

"Ssshhh. It's okay. It's over." Santana insisted. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Brittany continued to cry, and Santana just held her, whispering sweet loving words.

As Brittany started to calm down, and her tears had mostly stopped, Santana whipped her face before shifting a little so she could grab the comforter down by their feet. She pulled it all the way up and over their heads, creating a fluffy cocoon.

"I love you, Britt." Santana said resting her forehead against Brittany's.

Brittany sighed and nuzzled her nose with Santana's. "I love you too. I'm sorry I went crazy on you."

"Stop apologizing. You aren't crazy." Santana said. "I was a little insensitive-"

"No, you weren't. I just…I don't know why I got so upset, I'm…it's just…I can't explain it." Brittany sighed in frustration.

"You don't have to." Santana said. She knew it was Brittany's hormones that caused her outburst, but she didn't want to say anything about her being hormonal, just in case it pissed her off again. She preferred not to be on the receiving end of Brittany's wrath a second time in the same day. "Let's just not think about it anymore. It's in the past, and all I wanna do right now, is cuddle with you…and maybe steal a couple of kisses." She said and playfully pecked Brittany's lips.

Brittany giggled, nuzzling her nose with Santana's again. "You don't have to steal them."

"Oh yeah?" Santana cooed. "You're just going to give them away?"

Brittany nodded. "Yes, but only to you."

"Then I'm the luckiest girl in the world." Santana said with a smile before placing a lingering soft kiss to her lips.

They stayed under the blanket, kissing, cuddling, and giggling until Brittany started to feel hot and she couldn't stay under the blanket anymore. She flipped the cover away from them and sat up. She looked down at Santana, who was looking up at her with a sweet smile and she felt an apology almost slip through her lips again, but she stopped it in time.

"I love you." She said instead. "You're always so good to me."

Santana sat up and placed her hands on Brittany's belly. "That's because you and this little guy deserve the best that I can give you."

Brittany smiled and placed her hands on top of Santana's as she looked down at her belly. "I can't wait until we get to meet him."

"Me too." Santana cooed. "It won't be long now. Just a few more weeks."

"I wish it was now." She was tired of being pregnant and she was becoming impatient.

"I know you do. I want that too, but he's still growing and hopefully the next six weeks goes by so quickly that he'll be in our arms before we know it."

Brittany smiled when she thought about them holding the baby.

"And, just think, the baby shower is in a couple of days. That'll be fun."

"Yeah it should be." Brittany said and then a thought came into her mind that she needed to address. "I really think we need to get ice cream for the party." She said seriously.

Santana just raised a curious eyebrow. "Really? Britt, it's January, do you think many people are going to want ice cream?"

"I always want ice cream." Brittany said with a hopeful smile and shrug.

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle. "Okay, you win; we'll have ice cream there as well."

"Yessss!" Brittany said and pumped her fist.

Santana chuckled again and leaned in to peck Brittany's lips again. "Are you hungry?"

Brittany just gave her an incredulous look. "Duh." Of course, she was hungry. She was never not hungry.

"Okay." Santana said in amusement, shaking her head. That was a silly question. "Well, let's go downstairs. I can't promise that it's going to be good though. I tried to make dinner earlier, but I kinda burnt parts of it, so Mom is trying to save what she can."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Brittany cooed.

"We'll see."

-()-()-()-()-

When Saturday morning came around, Santana was taken from her sleep, again, by Brittany rolling around the bed.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked groggily.

"I can't get comfortable. Even my pillow isn't helping." Brittany said referring to the body pillow that was currently in-between her and Santana. She preferred snuggling with Santana as they slept, but that could get uncomfortable quickly, so they had gotten her a body pillow to aid in comfort and to help relieve some of the weight of her belly.

Santana looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was about seven o'clock. She had been hoping to sleep in until at least eleven. The baby shower wasn't until four o'clock, but she had a feeling that she wasn't going to get the chance to go back to sleep.

"Do you want to get up?" Santana asked. "I'll make breakfast."

"No, you wanted to sleep in." Brittany said leaning over her body pillow and kissing Santana on her cheek. "I'll have a bowl of cereal and watch cartoons."

For a split second, Santana considered letting her because she was tired. Brittany's restlessness had been disrupting her sleep for the past few weeks, and it wasn't as fun as when Brittany would wake her up for sex. In fact, she hadn't done that since Christmas, but regardless, she knew she couldn't let Brittany fend for herself while she slept. If Brittany was awake and tired, then she was going to be right there with her.

"It's no problem." Santana said with a lazy smile and flipped their new white and royal blue comforter away from her. "How does eggs and sausage sound?"

"It sounds great." Brittany said with a grateful smile.

"Then let's go." Santana said standing up and reaching for a sweatshirt to pull over her t-shirt.

They went downstairs and Santana poured a glass of milk and put three mini muffins that Maribel had made for breakfast the day before on plate in front of Brittany at the table, because she knew that she was usually hungry after getting out of bed, and she didn't want her to wait until the food was ready.

"Thanks." Brittany cooed and pulled on Santana's hand until she leaned down and she was able to give her a kiss.

Santana lingered a few moments, deepening the kiss a little more, and when they parted, Brittany had a goofy grin on her face. It was moments like this that Santana loved, and it made all the loss of sleep and early mornings worth it to her.

By the time that Santana was plating Brittany's food, Maribel came into the kitchen in her pajamas. "You want a plate?" Santana asked. She, of course, had made enough for her mother as well.

"Yes, please." Maribel said with a smile, sitting at the table beside Brittany. "And can I have some coffee too."

"Sure." Santana said. She had just made a full pot and was most of the way through a cup of coffee herself.

"You two are up early." Maribel said.

"I couldn't sleep." Brittany said with a little pout. "I'm just so uncomfortable all the time now."

"I know, honey, but it will get better once you have the baby. I promise." Maribel said patting Brittany's hand

"I hope so, but I'm sure I'm not going to be getting much sleep after he arrives." Brittany said.

Santana placed Brittany's plate in front of her. "Don't worry. We're still going to take turns doing the night feedings. That way it won't be so hard." Santana said. She fully intended to help with those because she didn't want Brittany to be worn out, so the plan was to start the baby on breast milk and formula from the beginning.

"Thanks, San." She said with a smile.

"Maybe you two can sneak in a nap before the party this afternoon." Maribel suggested.

"Maybe." Brittany said and Santana nodded. A nap sounded great.

-()-()-()-()-

At four o'clock on the dot, the doorbell rang. Brittany went to answer the door while Santana and Maribel finished setting food platters on a table in the living room. When she opened the door, she wasn't surprised to see the glee girls and Kurt. She was sure that Rachel had something to do with the promptness of their arrival.

"Hey girl!" Mercedes cheered with a wide smile.

"Hey!" Brittany beamed and opened the door further so they could all walk in.

"You look amazing, Britt." Kurt said coming into the house and giving her a kiss on her cheek. "I love your dress. Is it new?"

"It is. I got it just for today." Brittany said closing the door. "Just hang up your coats on the hooks."

"You look lovely." Rachel said setting her gift on the floor and taking off her puffy pink coat. "I have to say I've never seen anyone make maternity wear look so good." She complimented.

"That's because she's always gorgeous." Santana said coming from behind to stand beside her. She wrapped her arm around Brittany's waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Brittany playfully rolled her eyes. "Stop it."

"It's true." Santana insisted.

"Santana, you are such a lovesick sap." Quinn teased with a chuckle.

"So." Santana said with a shrug. "Have you seen yourself with Boy Chang?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please. When you think no one is watching, you're just as sappy."

"She's right, Q." Mercedes said and Tina nodded in agreement and added, "The sappiest."

"Okay, fine, yes. We're all sentimental in our own ways." Quinn agreed.

"And that's okay." Brittany cooed, giving Santana a quick peck on her lips.

"Are you all just going to stand by the door, or do you want to come in?" Maribel playfully called from the living room.

They all went into the living room and no sooner had they put their gifts on the gift table; the doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it." Maribel said. She was expecting three friends from work as well.

Once everyone had arrived, they all chitchatted as they ate. After every one was finished with their food, Brittany cut the blue and white baby bottle shaped cake that Maribel had made, giving the first slice to Santana, and then cutting a bigger one for herself. Tina and Mercedes served slices for the rest of the party as Rachel scooped Brittany's must have ice cream onto their plates.

"Who is ready for some games?" Maribel asked after they had finished with their dessert.

"I am!" Brittany cheered. She was really looking forward to the games.

Santana on the other hand was torn about them.

When it came to the games, Santana was sure that her mother and Brittany were ganging up on her, and conspiring against her. When they first started planning the party, they had done an internet search for baby shower games. Most she thought were corny, but secretly inside, she couldn't wait to play them because even though Brittany was having the baby, the baby shower was for both of them since she was his mother as well.

In the beginning, she was excited to play games…until they came across The Dirty Diaper Game.

Her first thought was _"Eww, gross!"_ and her second thought was, _"Whoever came up with melting chocolate bars in diapers and smashing them until it literally looks like shit, and then smelling it, is fucked in the head."_

Sure it was just chocolate, and it wouldn't smell bad, but just the visual was putting her off. She tried to squash the idea, but both Brittany and Maribel were so amused by her immediate and vehement dislike of the game that they both voted against her. In a 2-1 majority, she lost.

Maribel was the game runner, and the first game they played was where they tasted baby food from a jar and tried to guess what it was. Tina won, with Brittany coming in second.

The second game was a word scramble where there was a list of newborn themed words that had been scrambled and they had to unscramble them to find the correct word. Quinn was the first to finish, with Maribel's friend Joni coming in at a close second, and Rachel an even closer third.

Then came the third and final game that Santana was dreading. She was about to excuse herself for a fake bathroom trip, intending to hideout in her room until the game was over, but then she saw her mother pull out a spool of baby blue yarn and scissors instead of diapers and candy bars.

She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "What-" she started to ask what was happening until Brittany lightly squeezed her hand and giggled.

"Got you." She said and kissed Santana on her cheek.

"What? We aren't playing the poop game?"

Brittany chuckled again and shook her head. "No."

"Then-"

"We were just messing with you. I mean you made such a big deal about it, how could we not pick at you a little bit."

Santana sighed in relief. She knew she should have been annoyed with her mother and Brittany for messing with her head for weeks, but she was just so glad they weren't playing the game that she didn't care that they had gotten the better of her.

"So what game are we playing?"

"Measure the Belly."

"Are you sure you want to play that?" Santana asked. She was afraid with how sensitive Brittany's emotions had been, a game where people tried to guess how big around she was wouldn't be the best choice of game. The last thing she wanted was for her feelings to be hurt.

"Yeah, I picked it." Brittany said with a shrug. "We might as well have some fun with it."

"Okay, as long as you're happy." Santana said with a smile.

Once everyone had a chance to cut their yarn in the size that they wanted, they each took turns wrapping it around Brittany's belly. Some were too big, some too small, but surprisingly two got it 100% correct.

"Okay, I can see why Santana got it right. She always has her arms around Brittany, but Kurt?" Maribel said with an amused laugh. "Have you been hugging on Brittany too?"

"No." Kurt chuckled waving his hand. "I have an eye for fashion. I make my own clothes sometimes. I can just look at someone and within seconds I've sized them up."

"Really? What about me?" Deena, one of Maribel's friends challenged. She was not so sure of his boast.

Kurt just smiled smugly. "Five-foot-eight, one hundred and fifty pounds, give or take a pound or two, size six dress, thirty-three and a half inch inseam, size nine shoe, and your bust is a 36C."

Deena face dropped in surprise. "Damn."

"He's right?!" Maribel said incredulously. Deena nodded.

"See, I told you." Kurt said. "It's a gift."

"Okay, okay, before we end up playing a fourth game where Kurt ends up guessing all of our sizes, let's open some presents!" Mercedes said.

"Yes! Presents!" Brittany clapped her hands. "I can't wait to see them."

"That's a great idea." Maribel said as she reached for a piece of paper and pen so she could write down what everyone gave so Brittany and Santana could send out thank you cards later.

Santana and Brittany moved their chairs closer to the table with the gifts and Maribel picked up a blue bag with gold stars that they instinctually knew whom it was from, without looking at the label.

"This has got to be Berry's gift." Santana said as she passed it to Brittany.

"Good guess!" Rachel chirped and Santana had to resist rolling her eyes.

Brittany reached into the bag and pulled out an eight pack of bottles and nipples, a pack of pacifiers, two different style teething rings and a CD with the title, "Classic Children's Songs Performed by Rachel Berry."

"Really Rachel?" Santana asked holding up the CD.

"Yes, I've read up on it. Music helps babies' minds develop, so I thought instead of just buying him a CD, I would record one. This way his songs will be sung by a quality vocalist."

Santana was about to make a smart remark about the probability of Rachel's voice scaring him and giving him nightmares when Brittany's voice stopped her.

"These are perfect!" Brittany squealed and at first Santana thought she was talking about the songs, but then she turned to look at Brittany and saw that she was holding two little onesies.

One was blue and said, "I love my 2 moms!" and the other was white and said, "Two mommies are better than one!"

Everyone ooed and awed over them being "the most adorable little things," but Santana's heart flipped in her chest when she saw them. _2 moms. Two mommies_. She was so touched to receive a gift that included her as they baby's mother that she could have cried, but she held it together and pushed her tears away. Even though she didn't need others to validate her being his mother, it didn't hurt to have the support of her closest friends and family. They had told their friends about her decision to be the baby's other mother a few weeks ago, and no one was surprised by their announcement. Thankfully, they were supportive, but some of them did express the same concerns that Maribel had when they told her.

"Thanks, Rachel." Santana said with a genuine smile. "We love them."

Rachel beamed. "You're welcome! I remember finding one similar to it in a box with some of my baby clothes; only mine said 'My two dads' and I thought it would be nice if you two had one as well."

"They're perfect and so cute." Brittany said again. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome!" Rachel chirped. "So who's next?!"

As Rachel was helping Maribel pick out the next gift, Brittany leaned in and kissed Santana on the cheek. Before she pulled back, she whispered, "Don't worry, we won't play the CD for him. It'll accidently on purpose get lost."

Santana just nodded. She was glad that she and Brittany were on the same page. She looked down at the two onesies on Brittany's lap, and her heart flipped again. She couldn't wait to meet _their_ son.

By the time they had opened all the gifts, Santana was feeling overwhelmed. She couldn't believe all the great things their friends bought the baby. She wasn't expecting that much stuff. She honestly thought they'd give a few small and inexpensive things, but they by far exceeded her expectations. On top of the gifts from Rachel, they had gotten a bottle warmer and a stuffed lion from Quinn, a bouncy seat and bath toys from Tina, a miniature three piece suit and fedora from Kurt, three summer outfits with sneakers to match from Mercedes, and Maribel's friends gave them more diapers, formula, swaddlers, washcloths, bibs, lotions, and creams than they immediately knew what to do with.

"Okay, one last gift." Maribel said with a knowing smile.

Santana scrunched her eyebrows. "From who?"

"Me, duh!" Maribel said and playfully stuck her tongue out at Santana.

Neither Brittany nor Santana had expected a gift from Maribel at the shower. She had already bought so much for the baby.

"Mama, you didn't have to give us anything." Santana said.

"Of course I did. I can't diss my grandson at his baby shower." She said.

Santana and Brittany couldn't help but to smile when she said "my grandson." They loved the fact that Maribel was so accepting of not only their relationship, but also accepting the baby as well.

Maribel handed Brittany a simple blue envelope, "It's not money, but I think you two will like this just as much."

Brittany turned the envelope over and tore it open to reveal a card that had a stork on the front carrying a blue bundle that said "Bundle of joy on the way." She opened the card to see a hand written message that said, _"I can't wait to meet our precious little man! Love, Mom"_ as well as a folded piece of paper. Brittany handed it to Santana and when she opened it, they both gasped.

It was a gift voucher for a professional family photo package. Included was five photo sessions, a maternity session for Brittany and Santana, and then four sessions to capture the baby's first year, from newborn to birthday.

"Maribel." Brittany breathed out, looking over at her. "This is amazing."

Maribel just chuckled. "Well I know how much you two like pictures, but I didn't want one of you to be on the back side of the camera all the time, so I thought a family package would mean that you had some nice pictures of all of you together."

"This is perfect, Mama." Santana said with a wide smile. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, but just know after you two; I get first dibs on what prints I want!" She said with a wink.

Brittany giggled. "Yes, of course."

"And, Brittany, I talked to the photographer…she's one of the ER doctors' sister-in-law and I told her about your natural talent for photography. I even showed her some of the ones that you've taken and she was impressed. She said that if you're interested, she'd be willing to give you some lessons in photography to sharpen your skills, as well as offer you a paid internship to introduce you to business."

"Really?" Brittany said perking up. Santana perked up as well.

Maribel nodded. "Yes. She's going to have an uptick in business once spring arrives and through the summer for weddings, as well as her other business, so she's going to need an assistant. She said she'd pay you a flat fee of a hundred dollars for every wedding that you work, and seven dollars an hour for everything else."

"That's…I don't even know what to think right now." Brittany said feeling overwhelmed. She wasn't expecting anything like that at all.

"I know it's a lot to think about right now, especially with the baby on the way, but I think that this is an incredible opportunity for you. And who knows, if you like it enough, you might decide that you want to pursue a career in photography. Lima Community does have a photography program."

"I…I never really thought about that before." Brittany said. She loved taking pictures, but it was just one of her hobbies. She never considered that it could be a job for her. She looked at Santana. "What do you think, San?"

"I think mom's right, it sounds like a great opportunity, and the money wouldn't hurt, but you should think about it and decide if you want to do it or not. If you do, then we can discuss how we're going to make it all work with the baby."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Brittany said with a nod.

"I'll support whatever you want." Santana said leaning over and giving her a kiss on her cheek.

Brittany smiled and nodded.

"Well aren't you two just the cutest couple." Francine, Maribel's friend said. "A lot of older couples could learn a thing or two from you."

"Yes they can." Maribel said with a proud smile.

She loved how in tune and supportive Santana and Brittany were with each other. She had been worried about them becoming a family, and honestly, she still had those worries to an extent. They're young, and it seemed that young people changed their minds so easily, but ever since she found out that they were together, she had been watching them. The more she watched, the more she saw how much they loved and respected each other. The real test of their relationship was soon to come with the arrival of the baby, but she truly believed that if they put their minds and hearts into it, they could work through any hardship together.

Brittany blushed at the compliment and Santana smiled. "Thanks. We're still trying to figure everything out though." Santana said honestly. Half the time she didn't know what she was doing in her relationship with Brittany. She had never been in a relationship of this magnitude before. She was just making things up as she went along, but with one simple intent in mind, to make Brittany happy. If she could do that, then she knew she could be happy as well.

"Trust me; you still have a lot to learn, you'll always be learning, but you two seem to have more figured out than you think." Francine said with a smile.

"Thanks." Brittany and Santana both said with shy smiles.

-()-()-()-()-

Later that evening, after everything was cleaned up downstairs, and all the guest had gone home, Santana and Brittany were organizing the gifts for the baby in the safari themed nursery.

They had been quietly working for a while when Brittany finally spoke. "I had so much fun today." She said as she picked up the stuffed lion from Quinn.

"Yeah, me too." Santana said turning to look at her and giving her a smile, before she returned to putting their new items in the closet by either making new spots for them or adding them to their current supply. When she finished, she turned to find Brittany sitting on the rocker, holding the Lion in her arms. She was staring at the crib, seemingly lost in thought.

Santana slowly moved over to her and then kneeled in front of her, resting her hands on her thighs. "Hey, Britt-Britt, are you okay?"

Brittany turned her attention to her and gave her a soft smile. "Hey. Yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you tired?"

"I'm always tired now-a-days." Brittany said with a weary chuckle. They had not been able to take a nap before the party, so she had been up all day without a rest.

Santana smiled and leaned forward, kissing Brittany sweetly on her lips. "What's going through your head?"

"A lot actually."

"Tell me." Santana cooed.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Wherever you want. I want to hear it all."

Brittany sighed. "I was putting stuff away and all of sudden it really hit me that the baby is going to be here in six weeks, maybe sooner. I mean, I knew he was coming, but all of a sudden it just felt more real…and then I thought, I have to give birth. Like, I _literally_ _have to_ _push a baby out of me_ , and it's terrifying."

"Aww, Britt, you know everything is going to be okay, right? Dr. Kay knows what she's doing, and you're going to have an epidural so the pain won't be so bad."

"I know, but it's still scary."

"Yeah it is." Santana nodded. She didn't want to invalidate Brittany's feelings, because she knew if she was the one that had to give birth in six weeks, she be freaking out a lot more than Brittany.

"And I'm excited to meet him, but I'm afraid that I'm not going to be a good mother."

Santana shook her head, because she knew that was impossible. "You are going to be the best mother."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know." Santana said and Brittany gave her an unconvinced look. "I mean, look at how much you've already done for him. You love him so much, and I know as soon as he's here, and in your arms, that love is only going to grow. There's no way that you could be a bad mother to him."

"But what if I get overwhelmed by trying to take care of him. We both only know how to change a diaper because your mom made us practice on a doll."

It was true. When they were out of school for Christmas/Winter break, Maribel had borrowed two dolls from the hospital that were used in the infant CPR class so she could teach them CPR, as well as a few other things, such as changing a diaper, bathing, dressing, and the proper way to hold a baby because neither of them had any experience when it came to taking care of children. Both were an only child, and neither of them had done any babysitting either, so it was all going to be new to them.

Santana smiled softly and leaned forward again, but this time instead of kissing Brittany's lips, she kissed her forehead. "I have those same fears, but remember what mom said? All new parents go through this learning curve, and all new parents feel like they're in over their heads. It's just part of raising children."

"I just don't want to mess things up. I want to be perfect for him."

"I do too, but we probably will make mistakes, especially in the beginning." Santana said with a shrug. "But, we'll have mom to help us, we have each other, and we have a whole glee club full of friends that will be tripping over themselves to help us, even if we don't want their help…we're lucky because a lot of people don't have the kind of support that we do."

Brittany nodded because she knew Santana was right. "I guess I'm just being stupid." She said with a sigh and held the lion in her arms a little tighter.

"You are not being stupid. I think you're being normal." Santana said matter-of-factly. "Having a baby is a big deal, and if you weren't feeling this way, I'd be concerned. We're going to make mistakes, we're not going to get any sleep for several months, and we'll probably both have emotional breakdowns because we're overwhelmed and exhausted, but it's going to be okay because we're going to learn from all of that, and _together_ we're going to be the best mommies to this little boy." She said, moving her hands from Brittany's thighs to the sides of her belly before leaning down to kiss the baby bump.

"I needed to hear that." Brittany said and she couldn't help her eyes watering. Her heart was so full. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too, Britt. More than you can even imagine." Santana cooed and leaned in giving her a soft kiss.

Maribel stood outside the room, leaning against the wall, smiling. She had come up to see if they needed any help, and she overheard their conversation. She had stayed out of sight so as to not interrupt their moment, but she listened in, and when there was a lull in their conversation, she peaked around the door to see if it was okay to come into the room. She found them with their arms wrapped around each other, their eyes closed, and their forehead resting together.

Her smile widened as she watched the intimate moment. She decided to give them a few more minutes to themselves. As she quietly crept away from the room, she couldn't help but to agree with Santana in her thinking that even though a lot was going to be happening in a short amount of time, everything with their little family truly was going to be okay.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Thank you all for reading! If you have a moment, please send me your thoughts!

I owe a big thank you to my beta **naynay1963** for proofreading and finding all my silly typos.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Ugh!" Brittany groaned as the alarm went off on a cold and dreary Monday morning in February.

"I know." Santana sighed as she turned off the alarm. She didn't want to go to school either.

"I'm so tired." Brittany said. She had been tossing and turning all night. She couldn't find a comfortable spot to lay in for long.

"Me too." Santana mumbled.

Every time Brittany moved, she would wake up. Brittany was thirty-seven weeks pregnant and the baby could show up at any time. She was considered full term and after her last doctor's appointment, that was now a weekly appointment, they found out that she was she was dilated two centimeters. Santana was just waiting for Brittany to tell her that the baby was coming. She was so anxious about it too, because Brittany had been having Braxton Hicks contractions on and off for the last few weeks, which had freaked her out at first, thinking that the baby was coming too early, but after they tapered off and disappeared, they realized it was Braxton Hicks. It completely messed with Santana's mind because every time Brittany groaned, or so much as touched her stomach, she thought it was a real contraction and it was "Go Time" as she had started calling it.

"How are you feeling, other than tired?" Santana asked.

"I feel okay, I just couldn't get comfortable at all last night."

"It'll be over soon." Santana said and reached over to turn on her bedside lamp. "Three more weeks and he'll be here."

"Thank god." Brittany huffed. She was so over being pregnant. She had 'popped', as everyone kept saying. Up until now, her belly was always on the smaller side. Now she thought it was huge, but Maribel and Dr. Kay assured her it was average.

"Why don't you go take a hot shower?" Santana suggested and leaned over Brittany's body pillow so she could give her a kiss on her cheek. "Maybe the water will help."

"Okay." Brittany said with a small smile. She had started taking long showers and baths in the past few weeks, because the warm water helped to relax her body, and gave her some relief.

Brittany rolled out of bed, and slowly made her way to the bathroom. Santana laid in bed for a few more minutes, listening to the water running on the other side of the wall, before she heard her mother's bedroom door open and her footsteps approach their room.

"Morning, Mija." She said as she popped her head in the room.

"Morning, Mama." Santana responded with a little wave.

"How was last night?"

"The same. She tossed and turned all night. She said she couldn't get comfortable."

Maribel nodded. "Did she say anything about having pain or contractions again?"

"She didn't mention anything other than she felt uncomfortable all night."

Maribel nodded again. "Okay. Go get a shower. I'll start breakfast."

"Okay." Santana sighed and flipped the comforter away from her so she could go into her mother's room to use her shower.

When they were finished getting ready for school, they went down to the kitchen to find Maribel sipping on a cup of coffee. She had made apple cinnamon oatmeal and fruit salad for breakfast.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Maribel asked as Brittany sat down in the chair beside her.

"A little better. The shower helped."

"Any pains or contractions?"

Brittany shook her head. "Just my back, but it always hurts when I lay down for longer than five minutes." Actually, her back, hips, feet, almost everything hurt all the time now, but her back always seemed to bother her more at night.

"Is it still bothering you?"

"A little, but I took a really hot shower and it loosened my back a bit. It feels better now than it did before."

"Okay. Anything else different?"

"Nope."

"Alright." Maribel said with a little nod and reached for the serving spoon and Brittany's empty bowl. "How much oatmeal do you want?"

"All of it." Brittany chuckled. She was starving.

Maribel and Santana chuckled. "Well let's start with a bowl and see how much you want after that." Maribel said.

After breakfast, Maribel went to work and Santana drove them to school. She parked in their usual spot and they walked into the school hand in hand. As they approached their lockers, Mercedes and Shane were waiting for them.

"Brittany, girl, I swear that little waddle of yours is the most adorable thing ever." Mercedes said with a little chuckle.

"It is pretty adorable." Shane added in agreement.

Brittany couldn't help but to chuckle too. She could admit it. She had a pregnancy waddle. "Thanks."

"Everything about her is adorable." Santana said.

"That's true." Mercedes and Shane said at the same time.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Stop it guys."

"What?" Santana said and kissed her cheek. "You _are_ adorable."

"I'm huge." Brittany said matter-of-factly.

"You're pregnant, but still adorable." Santana corrected.

Brittany didn't argue with her, she just smiled and nodded.

"Anyways…" Mercedes said. "Shane and I have to steal your girl."

"Why?" Santana asked.

"Because we have a test, and we always study together before hand."

"We have a test?!" Brittany yelped and then groaned in frustration. "I completely forgot about it." She had not studied for it at all over the weekend.

"Then I guess we really do have to cram." Mercedes said. "If we hurry, we can get in twenty minutes."

Brittany quickly exchanged books and folders from her bag and locker and gave Santana a peck on her lips before she left with Mercedes and Shane to study for their math test.

-()-()-()-()-

After first period, Santana met Brittany outside of her classroom, and immediately she frowned when she saw the look on Brittany's face. "Hey, what's up? Did you fail your test?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I passed it." Brittany said.

"Then why do you look so upset."

"I'm not upset, I'm just annoyed."

"Why?"

"Because I'm uncomfortable!" Brittany snapped and Santana, Mercedes, and Shane all blanched at her unexpected outburst. Brittany sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to talk to you like that."

"It's okay." Santana said, though her feelings were hurt. Brittany had been more irritable in the past few weeks, but she knew that she couldn't help it with her fluctuating hormones.

"Can you…can you carry my bag please?" Brittany asked, but the tone didn't really sound like a request.

"Yeah, sure." Santana said taking it from her and holding it by the top handle. "Anything else I can do to help?"

"No." Brittany grumbled, twisting her upper body.

"Okay." Santana said in a quiet voice and glanced over to Mercedes and Shane.

"We'll see y'all later." Mercedes said with sympathetic eyes as she and Shane made a hasty departure. They felt bad for just running off, but they could sense that their presence was not helping the situation.

Santana walked Brittany to her next class in silence. She was afraid to say anything in case it set her off. When they arrived, Brittany reached out to take her bag from Santana.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm just not having a good day." She said and took Santana's hand into her own.

"It's okay." Santana said feeling a wave of relief wash over her as she felt Brittany's hand touch hers. "I know it's not easy. Do you want to go home?"

Brittany shook her head. "No, I'm going to be uncomfortable and annoyed here or there, so I might as well just stay. I don't want to fall too far behind in my classes."

Santana nodded. "Okay. Well, if you change your mind…"

"I'll let you know." Brittany said with a small smile. "Give me a kiss. You're going to be late for your next class if you don't leave soon."

"Like I care." Santana said with a smug smirk, but she leaned in and kissed Brittany softly on the lips.

They both exhaled as their lips touched. They let the kiss linger for a few moments until Brittany pulled back. "I love you."

"I love you too." Santana said and then the warning bell rang.

"You better go." Brittany said. She knew Santana had less than a minute to get to her class that was two hallways away.

"Fine, see you soon."

"See ya." Brittany said and waved as Santana walked away but looked at her over her shoulder.

The next few classes went by in a blur for Santana. She had been unable to concentrate on anything except for Brittany. She consumed her thoughts because every time she saw her, the more annoyed she seemed. She was basically tip-toeing on egg shells when she greeted her at her classroom, or their lockers to walk her to the next class. Every time, she carried Brittany's stuff and tried to do little things to make her feel just a little bit better. It worked a few times, earning a real smile or a kiss from Brittany. While they were at lunch, she thought Brittany's mood would improve at the prospect of food, but it didn't do much. She ate mostly in silence, but the noise of the cafeteria was grating on her nerves, so they left early, walking through the halls to pass the time until their next class.

She was lost in her own thoughts, ignoring Mr. Martinez as he rambled on about conjugal verbs when a knock on the door interrupted the class and her thoughts. She, like everyone else, looked to the door as Mr. Martinez walked over and opened it. She couldn't see who it was or hear what was being said, but a moment later, Mr. Martinez looked straight at her.

"Miss Lopez…please gather your things and come here." He said calmly.

Santana raised her eyebrow in confusion, but she stuffed her notebook that she had not written anything from the lesson on, into her book bag. She stood up from her desk and walked up to him. He silently opened the door further and motioned to the young woman that was standing outside the door.

"Hi, Santana." She said with a friendly smile. She was one of the gym teaches and volleyball coaches at the school, but she was also Mercedes' cousin Kristina, and since becoming good friends with Mercedes earlier in the year, Santana had spent some time with her in a social setting outside of school as well.

"Hey Kris-I mean Coach Jones." Santana said correcting herself, remembering that they were in school and she couldn't call her by her first name. "What's up?" She was not expecting to see her and she was wondering if she was in trouble, but then it dawned on her that Brittany sixth period was in the gym.

"Brittany's asking for you. Her water broke and she's in labor." She said wasting no time in telling her the reason for her presence.

"What?!" Santana yelped, her eyes as wide as saucers, and her heart beat increasing. "Where is she?"

"Still in the gym." Coach Jones said.

Santana didn't ask anything else, she took off running towards the gym.

Coach Jones followed her. "We've called your mother and an ambulance. They should be here shortly and your mom will be waiting for her at the hospital."

"I can drive her." Santana said.

"I'm sure you can, but Principal Figgins said the school can't take the liability of letting her leave with another student, so she has to leave here in an ambulance."

Santana didn't say anything more. Her mind was racing as she and Coach Jones sprinted as fast as they could to the gym.

When they arrived, Santana burst through the doors. The gym was surprisingly empty of students, so it was easy to locate Brittany laying on her side on a thick gym mat on the floor with Coach Beiste and the school nurse sitting beside her. She ran over to them, dropping her bag, jacket, and herself to the floor to be with Brittany.

"Brittany, are you okay?" She cooed short of breath and took her hands into her own.

"My water broke. The baby is coming, San. He's coming!" Brittany said with a genuine smile.

"I know, that's great!" Santana said and it took everything in her to not sound panicked. She had been hoping that they would be at home with her mother when Brittany went into labor. "How far apart are your contractions?"

"I don't know." Brittany said and looked up at Nurse Penny.

"It's hard to tell the consistency of them since her water broke about fifteen minutes ago and I've only been able to time her twice, but the closest I can tell is between five and six minutes." Penny said.

Santana's eyes widened when she realized they were that close. "Britt, why didn't you tell me you were having contractions? I would have called mom earlier."

"I didn't know I was." Brittany said. "It didn't feel anything like the contractions I've been having. I just felt uncomfortable because my back started hurting again while I was cramming for my math test. I thought it was just the normal pain that I would get in my back since I got pregnant, but it was just a little more intense today. I thought I might have tweaked it last night and that's why it's been bothering me all night and all day."

Santana vaguely remembered reading something about contractions in the back, but usually they moved forward to the abdomen as they progressed. "So you didn't feel anything in your stomach?"

"No."

"It sounds to me like that she's been in active labor for at least five hours, but if she was having back pain since last night; it's possible she's been in labor for longer." Penny added.

Santana's heart dropped into her stomach. She hated that Brittany had been in labor for so long and she didn't know about it. She could have done so much more to help her.

"It's okay." Brittany said squeezing her hand. She could read Santana's expressions easily and she knew that she was upset. "I didn't know, so there was no way that you would have known."

Santana nodded, willing away the tears she felt pricking her eyes. She wished that she had taken Brittany home when she suggested it after first period. "I know, I just…I wish we knew about it sooner. We could have had you in a much more comfortable place while you labored than going to your classes and lying on the gym floor."

"It's okay. Everything is fine." Brittany said and then she winced, tightening her hold on Santana's hand.

"There's another one." Penny said looking at her watch. "She appears to be contracting every five minutes now."

Again, Santana's heart dropped into her stomach. She wanted Brittany in a hospital bed now. "How long until the ambulance gets here? It's a small town for fuck's sake; they should be here by now!" She snapped, her emotions getting the better of her.

"It's pulling up now." Coach Jones said looking to the windows of the double doors that led outside. She and Coach Beiste ran over to the doors to help prop them open for the EMTs.

"San, don't leave me." Brittany said tightening her hold on her hand again.

"I won't, I promise." Santana said. She remembered that they wouldn't let her in the ambulance when Brittany was in her car accident the night they met, but she was not going to let them tell her no this time. She didn't care what had to happen, she was going to the hospital with Brittany.

Less than a minute later, two EMTs came into the gym, rolling a stretcher.

"Where's your stuff, Britt? Santana asked.

"On the bleachers." Brittany answered.

"I'm just going to grab it real quick and then I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay."

Penny gave her report to the EMTs as they carefully transferred Brittany to the stretcher. Once she was strapped in, they raised the stretcher to full height.

"This is my girlfriend." Brittany said as Santana returned to her side holding all of their stuff. "Can she come with us? Please, I need her with me." She too remembered that they wouldn't let Santana in the ambulance last time.

"No, I'm sorry-" One of the EMTs started to say, when Santana cut him off.

"No, I'm _going_." She snapped. "I'm _not_ leaving her alone."

"I'm sorry; we just don't have enough room in the back for you." The other EMT said in a calm voice, trying to pacify Santana.

Santana was about to go into a rant about how she would not take up that much room, when Penny spoke up.

"Sir, can't she sit in the front with the driver? She's going to go to hospital with her regardless, and it would be much safer if she wasn't driving herself, don't you think? Plus, her mother is Maribel Lopez, she's an ER nurse and she'll be waiting for you at the hospital when you arrive. Can't you extend a little professional courtesy for them?"

Santana had never been so happy about Penny being the school nurse than she was that day.

The EMTs looked at each other for a moment and then they nodded. "Okay, we don't usually do this, but she can sit up front."

"Thank you!" Santana said with a wide smile.

"Yes, thank you." Penny said as well.

"You're welcome." Both EMTs said at the same time. They knew Maribel; they saw her all the time, so knowing that Santana was Maribel's child got her a pass into the van. "Well, let's go." One of them said.

"Take care, girls. The baby will be here before you know it." Penny said as they started to move away.

"Thank you…for everything." Santana said looking at her over her shoulder.

"You're welcome." Penny said with a smile.

As they came up to the doors, Coach Beiste and Coach Jones opened the doors for them and they too gave them a few words of encouragement.

Before they put Brittany into the back, Santana gave her quick kiss on her lips. "I'm just going to be right up front. I'm not leaving you." She reiterated.

Brittany nodded. As long as Santana was in the ambulance with her, she was totally fine with that. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Once Brittany was secured in the back, and Santana and the driver were in their seats, they left for the hospital, sirens sounding.

The ride was quick, only a few minutes. Santana didn't say anything to the driver, she just looked behind her through a little window into the back and watched Brittany and the EMT. She could tell that Brittany had had another contraction because she saw her tightly grip the bars on the stretcher.

When they arrived at the emergency room, Maribel was waiting for them at the ambulance entrance.

Santana jumped out of the van, her arms overflowing with her and Brittany's stuff. "Mama, the baby is coming!" She said, as if Maribel didn't already know.

Maribel couldn't help but to chuckle a little bit because she could see the excitement and panic in Santana's eyes. "Yes, Mija. I've been told."

"I'm sorry we didn't call you sooner! Brittany didn't know she was having contractions and I didn't know…she been in labor for hours and it's just a mess!"

"It's not a mess, Santana." Maribel said, trying to calm Santana down. "I spoke with Penny a few minutes ago when you left the school. She gave me an update, and it sounds like other than being in labor for a while, Brittany is doing okay."

Hearing her mother say that, made Santana feel a little bit better.

"It's all going to be okay. Just try to stay calm and be strong for Brittany. She's going to need you, okay?"

Santana nodded. "Okay."

"And, I'll be there the whole time too."

"Okay, great." Santana sighed. Not that she expected her mother to leave them, but to hear her say that she was going to be there with them gave her so much relief.

The EMTs pulled Brittany out of the back of the ambulance and helped her transfer to a wheel chair that Maribel had brought with her.

Maribel thanked the EMTs and then she started pushing Brittany inside. Santana quickly followed.

"How are you feeling honey?" Maribel asked Brittany.

"Uncomfortable." Brittany said. "And my back is really starting to hurt. It hurts way more than it did earlier."

"I called Labor and Delivery already. They know you're coming, so hopefully they have your room ready and Dr. Kay has been called too, so she should be here soon." Maribel said.

"Okay." Brittany said strained, gripping the handles of the wheelchair as another contraction hit.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Labor and Delivery and the nurse behind the desk took them down a hallway to Brittany's birthing suite.

"Are you able to stand on your own?" The nurse asked as she rolled Brittany up to the bed.

"Yes." Brittany said nodding. Her contraction was starting to subside.

"Okay, great." The nurse said with a warm smile. "I'm Renee; if you need anything, just let me know. I'm going to step out of the room for a few minutes so you can change. Here's your gown." She said pointing to it on the bed. "Just change into it, and get into bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your vitals."

"Okay, thanks." Brittany said with a smile. She watched Renee hand Maribel a clipboard and leave the room.

"Do you want any help?" Santana asked. She was still holding all of their stuff.

Brittany nodded. "Yes, please."

"You'll probably have to help her to tie the gown in the back." Maribel said sitting down in one of the open chairs in the room. "I'm going to start filling out the paperwork. I already preregistered Brittany, but there's still some forms that have to be filled out."

Santana looked around the room and found a corner that was out of the way to store their book bags and coats. When she turned around, she saw Brittany carefully stand up from the wheelchair. Santana picked up the gown and held it open to afford Brittany the privacy of stripping in front of her mother, not that either of them seemed to mind. Maribel saw naked people every day in the hospital and Brittany was beyond caring at this point. All she cared about was getting the baby out of her.

As Santana was standing there, watching Brittany undress, she was suddenly hit with a realization. They hadn't really talked about having more children in the future, but she assumed that they would eventually, and she too wanted to give birth to a child one day, so unless they decided to have more than two, she realized that she'd probably never see Brittany pregnant again, which actually made her sad. She loved the way that Brittany looked pregnant, so she mapped her eyes around Brittany's body, trying to memorize what it looked like.

When Brittany was finished, she went to put her arms into the gown that Santana was holding open for her, and she noticed that Santana had tears in her eyes. "Honey?" Brittany said as she put her arms in the gown, resting it on her shoulders, and cupped Santana's cheeks with her hands.

Santana gave her a teary smile, and shook her head. "I'm fine. It's just that you're _so beautiful_." She sighed and wrapped her arms around Brittany's upper back, keeping a little space between them. She was afraid to touch anywhere near her abdomen in case she did something to hurt Brittany or the baby.

Brittany would have protested that statement if it wasn't for the sincerity in the tone of Santana's voice and the loving look on her face. She could tell that no matter what she thought about her own pregnant body, Santana truly believed that she was beautiful.

"Thank you." Brittany whispered with a small smile and leaned in, kissing Santana softly on her lips.

When they parted, Brittany wiped the two tears that escaped Santana's eyes when she closed them. "I love you."

"I love you too. Are you scared?" Santana asked, because she was so nervous and she wasn't the one that had to give birth.

"A little, but mostly I just want to see the baby and not be pregnant anymore."

"I can understand that."

"We're going to meet our baby soon, San!" Brittany practically squealed. It was the happiest that Santana had seen her all day.

Santana smiled and nodded. "I can't wait."

They just stared at each other for a few moments before Santana shook her head, remembering that they had to get Brittany into the bed. She didn't want to her to have another contraction while she was standing.

"Here…let me tie your gown." She said walking behind Brittany and tying the baggy gown closed at the top. She also pulled Brittany's hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way.

When Brittany slipped into bed, she shivered because the room was a little cold to her with her lack of clothing. Santana took Brittany's clothes and shoes over to the corner and was in the process of folding them, when she heard Brittany groan. She was having another contraction. Santana immediately stopped what she was doing, dropping the sweater in her hands into a crumpled pile on the floor. She went to Brittany side, and a feeling of panic rolled through her again, because she honestly didn't know what to do.

"This one is really bad." Brittany said though gritted teeth as she arched her back.

"Brittany, try to lay on your left side. Santana rub her lower back." Maribel said, but she didn't get up from her seat. Her impulse was to get up and do it, but she refrained from stepping in. She knew that Santana should be the one doing these things for Brittany. She wasn't there to be a nurse; she was there as the baby's grandmother to give experienced suggestions, emotional support, and to lend a hand when she knew the girls needed it.

Both girls followed Maribel's suggestion and when the contraction passed, Brittany rolled to lay on the bed normally. "Man, these are getting worse." She said out of breath.

"And quicker. That last one was just over four minutes since your last one." Maribel said setting the clipboard on the counter. She had finished filling out the paperwork.

Santana swallowed hard as she sat in the chair right beside the bed and took Brittany's hand into her own. She didn't know much, but she knew if the contractions were that close, the baby could come at any time.

"When can I get an epidural?" Brittany asked Maribel. The pain was getting a lot worse and she was looking for some relief.

"We'll see what the nurses have to say when they come back to check you out." Maribel answered.

"Can you come sit beside me too?" Brittany asked. She wanted her close by, just like Santana.

Maribel smiled and nodded. "Sure, honey. Anything you want." She said and pulled her chair over to the other side of the bed. It warmed her heart that Brittany wanted her to sit beside her. When she sat down, Brittany reached her hand out for Maribel to take.

A few moments later, Renee walked into the room with another nurse. "Okay, Brittany, we're going to get your vitals along with the baby's, see how far you're dilated, and start your IV. Dr. Kay called and she's in the parking garage trying to find a spot, so she'll be in soon to have a look as well."

The nurses set about their tasks. They had just enough time to insert the IV and hook up Brittany to the monitors when she had another contraction, and this time, the pain wasn't just in her back, it had moved forward into her abdomen as well.

Brittany yelled out in pain, abruptly letting go of Santana and Maribel's hands as her body involuntarily jerked. As she writhed in pain, she tried to curl her body into a ball. "It feels like my insides are trying to rip themselves apart." She groaned. She was shaking and had broken out into a sweat as well.

Santana, who had jumped out of her seat when Brittany first yelled out in pain, stood looking wide-eyed at her. Her heart was racing. She shifted her eyes to her mother and silently pleaded with her to tell her what to do. She didn't want to do anything wrong.

"Rub her back or arms or whatever you can, and talk to her. Just don't take her hand anymore." Maribel said and when Santana quirked her eyebrow in confusion, she added, "Trust me, I know you'll want to, but don't. She's in a lot of pain and she's just reacting. She won't be able to control her strength and she can break your hand if she squeezes it hard enough."

The sound of Brittany screaming and moaning again broke Santana and Maribel out of their conversation. Santana rubbed her hands up and down Brittany's back and tried to be encouraging.

"You're doing great Brittany. So great. I love you. It's going to be okay." At first, her voice was shaky, because she was terrified about Brittany being in so much pain, but she pulled herself together to be strong and confident for her.

When the contraction subsided, Brittany was breathing hard and she had tears streaming down her face.

"Santana." Brittany cried rolling over to look at her and she wrapped her arms around Santana.

"I know, sweetheart." Santana said embracing her. She kissed Brittany on her temple. "You're doing so well. I'm so proud of you."

"Brittany…" Renee said softly to get her attention. When she looked at her, she said, "Can you lay back on the bed? I need to see how dilated you are."

Brittany nodded and released Santana from her hold. She laid back on the bed and spread her legs so Renee could take a look.

"When can I get an epidural?" Brittany whimpered as Santana took a paper towel off the counter and wiped the sweat and tears away from her face.

Renee didn't say anything at first, then she lowered Brittany's gown. "I'm sorry; I don't think you have time for one. Your stats are good, and the baby's heartbeat is right where we want it, but you're already at seven centimeters and your contractions are coming so fast. I can't see the head yet, but even if we gave it to you right this second, it's going to take about twenty minutes for it to take effect, and I think the baby is going to be here before then."

Brittany and Santana eyes both widened. "So she has to give birth without any drugs?" Santana asked dumfounded.

"I'm afraid so." Renee said and Brittany groaned, burying her head into Santana's chest. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany protectively. A natural birth with no anesthesia was not part of their birth plan. "But the good part about having a natural birth is there is less restrictions on you right after delivery. You'll be happy that you didn't have it soon." Renee added with a little chuckle

Brittany shook her head and mumbled into Santana's chest. Thankfully, Santana was the only one that actually heard the names and profanities that Brittany uttered. She was thinking them herself, and the only reason she had not gone off on Renee and insisted that she give Brittany the epidural anyway was that her mother had not said anything to contradict what Renee had said. She trusted her mother more than anyone, so if she didn't say anything, it meant that she agreed with her.

"I'm sorry honey." Maribel said rubbing Brittany's back. "I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but it will all be over soon and you'll have your little man in your arms."

Brittany groaned into Santana's chest again before she pulled back and laid in the bed. She did not look happy.

"I love you so much." Santana said, pushing a few strands of sweaty hair that came loose out of Brittany's face.

It wasn't long before Brittany had another contraction. It was stronger and longer than the last. As she writhed in the bed, moaning and yelling in pain, Santana did everything she could to keep calm as she touched and talked Brittany though it. It was killing her that Brittany was in so much pain. She caught herself several times trying to take Brittany's hand, because it was a natural reflex for her to take it when Brittany was distressed, but she didn't want to take the chance that she might break it either. She needed to have complete use of both of her hands to take care of Brittany and the baby afterwards.

By the time that Dr. Kay walked into the room with two more nurses, Brittany had had four more contractions.

"Hello ladies!" Dr. Kay said a little too cheery for Brittany in her current state of personal hell. "How's it going?"

"GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME! I WANT HIM OUT OF ME NOW! Brittany moaned as she was coming down from her current contraction.

Dr. Kay didn't take any offense to Brittany's outburst. She completely understood. "Let me have a look, and see where we're at." She said. As she picked up Brittany's gown, she nodded. "You're crowning, it's time to push."

Before Santana and Brittany could blink, the nurses went into action, laying Brittany back, breaking down the bottom half of the bed, putting her feet in stirrups, turning up the lights, and pulling medical instruments seemingly out of nowhere.

Dr. Kay put on a fresh pair of gloves and a facemask. She moved Brittany's gown, so it wasn't in the way.

"Brittany, when I tell you to, I need you to give me a big push."

Santana and Maribel were standing beside Brittany, both of them touching her arms or shoulders to let her know that they were there.

Santana leaned down and kissed Brittany on her temple. "Just a few more minutes, that's all you have to do, and our son will be here." She whispered so only Brittany could hear.

Brittany looked at her, her face was contorted in pain, but she nodded.

"Okay, push." Dr. Kay said breaking them out of their stare.

Brittany pushed hard for as long as she could before she was told to rest. Her breathing was erratic, so Santana helped her to even it out, just like her mother had taught them. Although, as a reassurance, Santana glanced up to her mother, just to make sure that she was doing it correctly, and she saw her give her a little nod of approval.

"Again." Dr. Kay said.

Brittany screamed out again as she pushed and when she was told to stop again, she collapsed on the bed. _"San-tana-I-don't-want-to-do-this-ever-again!"_ She cried panting, looking up at her. _"It-hurts-so-much."_

"It's okay, you don't have to. I'll have the next one, just breath for me." Santana said without thinking about her response. She immediately led Brittany in her breathing exercises. She was so focused on Brittany; she missed the look of surprise on her mother's face from that little exchange.

"Brittany, push for me again." Dr. Kay said a few moments later.

Brittany pushed a third time, and within seconds, the baby was out.

"He's here, Britt!" Santana cheered as she heard the baby cry out for the first time. When she caught sight of him; that was enough to make her break. She had held back her emotions for as long as she could, but after everything she saw Brittany go through, coupled with finally seeing and hearing the baby, she just couldn't hold it in anymore and she started crying.

Brittany was laying back on the bed, breathing heavily. She smiled as she looked at the baby for the first time. She looked up at Santana to find her watching the baby with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"San." Brittany breathed out, and tired as she was, when Santana turned to her, she held her arms open.

Santana leaned down, wrapping her arms around her. She buried her nose in the crook of her sweaty neck, and cried. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. He's so beautiful. _You did that_. I'm so proud of you." She mumbled through her tears.

Brittany had started crying too, so she just nodded as she held Santana as tightly as her tired body could. A few moments later, Santana leaned back, wiping Brittany's face, and then her own before she cupped both of Brittany's cheeks with her hands and kissed her softly on her lips. She didn't care who in the room saw them, or if they agreed with it. She just had to give Brittany a kiss or she was going to explode.

When they parted, Santana nuzzled her nose with Brittany's before she whispered, "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Brittany said and she took Santana's hand into her own. She glanced up at Maribel and saw her smiling down at them. She looked as proud as she could be. Brittany moved her other hand and reached out to take Maribel's hand. Maribel just rubbed her thumb across the top of her knuckles as they all watched the nurses and Dr. Kay work on the baby.

A few more moments passed before Renee asked who wanted to cut the umbilical cord.

"San, you do it." Brittany said. They had not talked about that, but Brittany thought it was a rite of passage for the non-carrying parent to cut the cord.

"Are you sure?"

Brittany nodded. "Yes, you do it."

Renee held the baby while another nurse gave Santana a set of medical scissors, and clamped the cord.

This was their first close up of the baby, so they all looked him over, checking to see if he had all his fingers and toes, and if they could see anything out of the ordinary. Thankfully, at first glance, he seemed healthy. Brittany also looked over the baby's appearance, and to her great relief, he didn't remind her of what _he_ looked like. He had her features and eye color, but his skin tone was darker and his hair wasn't blonde, it was brown.

"Cut right here." The nurse said, and Santana did as she was instructed.

"I know you're dying to hold your baby, but the nurses need to get him cleaned up and do an examination first." Dr. Kay said to Brittany. "While they're doing that, I'm going to remove the placenta and give you an examination, and then the nurses will get you cleaned up as well, okay?"

"Okay, thank you." Brittany said with a tired smile.

"You're welcome. You did well." Dr. Kay said and patted Brittany's arm. Then she looked at Santana. "You did well too." She said with a smile.

Santana wasn't so sure about that considering that she sobbed her heart out not too long ago, but she just nodded and thanked her.

Once the linens on the bed had been changed and Brittany and the baby were finished with their examinations, Renee brought the baby over to them, swaddled tightly in a blanket with a blue cap covering his head. Before she placed him in Brittany's arms, she said, "Officially…your beautiful baby boy was born Feb 6th, 2012 at 3:37 P.M. He's seven and a half pounds, nineteen inches long, and in perfect health."

Both Brittany and Santana sighed in relief at hearing that he was healthy. When the baby was placed into Brittany's arms, she immediately felt a wave of love wash over her as she cradled him into her chest. She couldn't believe that she was finally holding her son. "He's so tiny." She squeaked. She felt as if she could start crying again at any minute. "Hi little man, I'm your mommy. I love you so much." She said and the baby cooed at hearing the sound of her voice. She leaned down and kissed him a few times on his little forehead. "I'm so happy you're here. And your other mommy is glad you're here too. She's right here." She said and turned the baby towards Santana. The baby had his blue eyes open and Santana smiled and leaned over, kissing him on his forehead as well.

"I love you too." Santana said and she felt tears prick her eyes again. Her heart just about exploded in her chest when she heard Brittany tell the baby that she was his 'other mommy'.

"And this nice lady over here is your Abuela." Brittany said and turned him toward Maribel.

"Hi there, little guy." Maribel said smiling down at him and she too gave him a little kiss on his forehead. "You know, other than the blue eyes and Brittany's nose and chin; he looks like Santana did as a baby."

"Really?" Santana asked. She wasn't expecting that.

"Mm-hmm." Maribel said. "With his tan skin and little tuft of dark brown hair." His skin tone wasn't as tan as Santana's, and his hair was a shade lighter too, but it still reminded Maribel of Santana as a baby.

"It's like he's a good mix of both of us." Brittany said with a smile.

"I hope so." Santana said. She would love it if the baby had any sort of resemblance to her, even if it was just in his skin tone and hair color.

"Brittany, the baby is going to have to eat soon, would you like for a lactation specialist to come in to teach you how to get him to latch?" Dr. Kay asked.

"Ummm..." Brittany drawled unsure. She didn't know that she would even need a lactation specialist. She wasn't keen to have another person in the room, but she was hesitant to say no too.

"I can teach you if you'd prefer someone you know." Maribel offered and Brittany let out a relieved sigh.

"Yes, I'd like that better."

"Alright." Dr. Kay said with a smile. "I'm going to be leaving in a few minutes. The nurses will be in and out for a while, and then in a about an hour or so, you'll be moved to another room."

"Okay, thank you so much for everything." Brittany said with a smile.

"You're very welcome." Dr. Kay said returning the smile and went back to her paperwork.

Maribel stood up from her seat and started to unsnap the front of the new gown that the nurses put on Brittany. She walked her through some feeding techniques and then Brittany latched the baby to one of her breasts. Once the baby was fed and burped, Brittany cuddled with him for a few more minutes before she handed him to Santana to hold for the first time.

As Santana wrapped the baby into her arms, the tears that she had been barely holding back, started to roll down her cheeks. "Hi my baby." Santana said closing her eyes and nuzzling the baby's cheek with her nose. She stayed like that for about a minute before she shifted him and held him against her chest as Brittany had done earlier.

When the last nurse finally left the room, Maribel stood up from her chair and pulled her cellphone out of the pocket of her scrubs. "I'm going to take a few pictures, and then I'm going to step out to give you two some alone time."

"You don't have to leave." Brittany said.

"I know I don't, but I want you two to have some time to yourselves to talk and to just be with your son. Since you didn't have an epidural, you're able to eat whenever you want, so I thought I'd go to the diner and pick up some food."

Brittany and Santana's eyes lit up. They were both hungry, Brittany especially.

"Oh yes! Can I have a cheeseburger and fries?" Brittany said. She loved the diner's burgers.

"Sure. Santana?"

"I'll have the same." Santana said to make things easier on her mother.

"Okay. When I come back, I'm going to get your hospital bag out of my locker, and I'm going to give your father a call to let him know that you've given birth. I think that he should be told."

Brittany nodded in agreement with a sad, flat smile. She missed him. She hadn't talked to her father since Christmas because he was still struggling with his issues. He would take steps forward, and then find himself taking steps backwards. She would have loved to talk to him more often, but they both still agreed that their contact had to be limited as he worked to overcome his alcoholism.

"Unless you just absolutely insist, I think it would be best for you to talk to him after you get home from the hospital. You just went through the trauma of giving birth, so I think adding any more stress right now would be counterproductive. You need to take the next couple of days to rest."

"I think that's probably for the best too." Brittany said with a nod. She was exhausted, and wasn't sure if she was up for that conversation quite yet anyway. "But, can you tell him I love him, and send him some pictures of the baby? I think he would like that."

"Sure." Maribel nodded. "Now, let's take a few pictures. As far as I can tell based on the frequency that you two take pictures, we're behind. We should have like eight hundred pictures of the baby by now." She joked.

Brittany and Santana both chuckled, because they knew if either of them had even thought about a camera after the delivery, they would have had a bunch of pictures already. Santana tightened her hold on the baby and carefully moved from her chair to sit on the bed beside Brittany so they could take their first picture as a family of three.

Once Maribel was finished taking pictures, she kissed the baby one more time. "When I get back, I want a turn cuddling my grandson." She said playfully. She had not held him yet and she was looking forward to it.

Santana nodded. "Sure, Mama; or should I say Abuela?"

Maribel couldn't help but to smile. "Either works."

Once she left the room, Brittany yawned and rested her head on Santana's shoulder as she looked down at their sleeping baby that was in her arms again.

"How are you feeling, Britt?" Santana asked softly as she rested her head on Brittany's.

"Tired, and my lower half feels like it's been to hell and back, but the ice pack they put down there is helping right now."

"That's good." Santana said. "I still can't believe that you gave birth _naturally_. I mean… you came though that like a total badass." Santana said with a little chuckle. She was in awe of what she saw Brittany do. She really meant it when she told Brittany it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

"I don't know about that, there was a lot of screaming and crying." Brittany said.

She actually didn't remember much about what had gone on around her during the more intense contractions and when she was pushing. She remembered Santana talking to her, but she couldn't remember what she had said to her, but she definitely remembered the pain and that she screamed and cried a lot.

"You're allowed to scream and cry. _You pushed a baby out of you with no pain meds_ , so yes, you are a total badass _._ " Santana said definitively.

Brittany chuckled. "Okay, I guess you're right."

Then, before either of them could say anything, they heard vibrating coming from where Santana had put their stuff.

"That's one of our phones." Santana said. She hadn't even thought to check them. With the way that McKinley worked, she was sure that everyone knew that Brittany went into labor while they were in school. Then they heard another vibrating noise and then another.

"I bet our friends are sending us messages." Brittany said and it made her smile that their friends were excited about the baby.

"Probably, but they can wait a bit." Santana said. She wanted more time with Brittany and the baby before she started messaging all their friends.

They were quiet for a few minutes as they cuddled and enjoyed the newness of being together as a family.

"Your mom's right." Brittany finally said. "He does look like you in your baby pictures."

Santana chuckled. "Until he opens his eyes and then he is 100% you."

"He's one handsome little man."

"He is." Santana said as she rubbed her hand up and down the baby's tummy. "You know, we still have to give him a name."

Brittany nodded as she looked down at the baby. She had a first name in mind that she had only thought about using in the last few days, but she hadn't discussed it with Santana yet. She really liked the name, but she wasn't sure how Santana would feel about it, so she was going to leave it up to her whether she wanted to give it to their son.

"I actually have a name that I really like, but I don't know what you'll think about it."

Santana chuckled. She hoped it wasn't some off the wall name, but knowing that Brittany had a proclivity for quirkiness, it could be. "Well you'll never know if you don't tell me." She said lightly.

"Okay…what would you think if we named him Nicolas, after your dad? But instead of calling him Nick for short, we called him Nico."

Santana's heart swelled in her chest at hearing Brittany say that she wanted to name the baby after her father. She felt a wave of emotion come over her again, and it formed a lump in her throat.

A few seconds passed, and because she was resting her head on Santana's shoulder, and she couldn't see her face, Brittany took her silence as a possible rejection.

"I mean, you've said before that you want to get pregnant one day, and while we haven't really talked about it, I'm guessing that we may have more kids in the future. There's no telling what it's going to be, but there's a chance you could give birth to a boy, so if you want to save using your dad's name for a child that is biologically yours, I'm okay with that too."

"What?" Santana said. Brittany's words abruptly took her out of her emotional state, and she moved so she could see Brittany's face.

"If you want to wait-" Brittany started to say again, but Santana shook her head to stop her.

"I heard you the first time." She said and laced her fingers with Brittany's. "Britt, listen to me, I don't care about biology. This is my son. _Our son_. We're never going to have a baby that is biologically both of ours, but that doesn't matter. Love is what is going to bond us, not DNA or genetics, and I'm _so_ in love with him already."

Brittany sighed in relief. "I feel that way too, and I thought you felt that way as well, but when you didn't say anything, I thought maybe I overstepped."

Santana shook her head and leaned in, kissing Brittany softly on her lips. "I was just so choked up that you wanted to use my dad's name, I couldn't speak. I was two seconds away from crying again."

"So you like Nicolas and Nico?" Brittany asked with a small smile.

"I absolutely love it." Santana whispered and she kissed Brittany again. "It's a good tribute for my dad and he would have been so proud to have his grandchild named after him."

"I wish I could have met him." Brittany said. "I wish Nico could have met him too."

"Me too." Santana said.

"So do you want to give him your dad's middle name too?" Brittany asked. She wasn't sure what it was, but if Santana wanted to use it, she would be fine with that.

Santana thought about it for a few seconds and then she shook her head. "No. I think if his first name is in memory of my dad, his middle name should be in memory of your mom. That way he's named after two of his grandparents. What do you think about Witt or Wittman?"

"Wittman sounds too stuffy, but I like Witt. My dad would call my mom Witt sometimes, so it's actually perfect."

"Nicolas Witt Lopez-Pierce. Nico Lopez-Pierce." Santana said trying it out for the first time.

"I wish I could put your name on his birth certificate as his other mother." Brittany said with a pout. Unfortunately, in Ohio, a father could be listed, but not a second same-sex parent.

Brittany was considered the legal parent under the law, and even though Santana was going to be Nico's other parent in every way, under the law, she wasn't. She was considered a legal stranger to him, regardless if they shared an emotional and parental bond. When they realized that a few weeks ago, it angered them, Santana especially, so they researched what they could do to give Santana the most amount of parental rights.

There was no second parent adoption allowed in Ohio, so Santana could not officially adopt Nico. Instead, they could have a Family Law lawyer help them make up parenting and custody agreements that named Santana as Brittany's co-parent, and gave her shared rights and responsibilities concerning Nico's care. Brittany could also make a will and health-care proxy that stated that if anything happened to her, she wanted the child's custody and guardianship to go to Santana so she could make legal decisions on his behalf, and then eventually adopt him.

Although the parenting and custody agreements could possibly be contested in court later, it laid the groundwork and left a paper trail that showed that they both intended for Santana to be Nico's parent from the beginning, and it gave Santana a better case if she ever had to defend her parenthood. Another thing that could go a long way into supporting the idea that Santana was Nico's parent was his last name. Brittany as the birth mother was allowed to give the baby any last name she wanted, even if it was different from her own and no name for the father was listed on the birth certificate. When Brittany found that out, she was determined to give him Santana's last name as well.

"I wish I could be put on his birth certificate too, but hopefully one day soon the laws will change." Santana said. "Until then, we'll use the parenting and custody agreements. Those legalities are just something that we have to deal with until I can legally adopt him, but it won't make me feel as if he's any less my son."

"That's true." Brittany said with a smile. She didn't care what the law said. As far as she was concerned, Santana was Nico's mother, the same as she.

"So anyways," Santana said to change the subject, "I have a feeling mom isn't going to be gone for long. She is going to be dying to hold Nico as soon as she can, so is it okay if I hold him again before she comes back and kidnaps him from us?"

Brittany just chuckled and carefully transferred Nico into her arms. Thankfully, he didn't wake up.

"I can't wait to tell mom that we named him after my dad. She's really going to love that." Santana said.

"I can't wait to tell her either." Brittany said with a smile. She just knew it would touch Maribel's heart.

Santana kissed Nico on his cheek and then kissed Brittany on her lips one more time before she rested her head against Brittany's. They both sighed contentedly. A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before either of them said anything.

"I still can't believe that _we're_ his mommies, Santana." Brittany said in amazement, looking at Nico.

"I know." Santana cooed. She could hardly believe it either. "But we are."

"It's funny, I know I should feel terrified about that because we're so young, but when I look at him, it doesn't matter. All I feel is love and happiness."

"Me too." Santana said turning her head and kissing Brittany temple. "I feel that way too."

-()-()-()-()-

A/N: I'm back from vacation, and of course, it felt as if it went by too fast. As promised, here is the next chapter! Baby Nico just couldn't wait to come out into the world and met everyone. I hope you all loved this extra-long chapter. If you get a chance, please let me know what you thought. I love your feedback.

Also, I've already started working on the next chapter of **Going to the Movies,** and it is going to be a long chapter as well, so keep an eye for it. I posted a chapter to that story right before I left for vacation, so if you haven't seen it yet, check it out.

I'd like to say thanks to my beta **naynay1963** and **FloatYourBoat21** for the inspiration for this chapter, and naynay1963 for editing as well!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Santana and Maribel pulled into the hospital parking lot the day after Nico was born so they could take him and Brittany home. They had spent the night with them, and while Santana didn't want to leave them alone in the hospital, she knew that she had to for a little while, so after lunch, Maribel drove Santana to McKinley to pick up her car, and then they went home to get Nico's car seat before they returned to the hospital. Santana was surprised that Brittany was being released after only twenty-four hours. It seemed too soon to her, but her mother tried to ease her concerns when she reminded her that Brittany's young age and lack of anesthesia helped to shorten the hospital stay, and that it wasn't uncommon to discharge a new mother and baby that soon if they were doing well and not experiencing any complications. To Santana, that was all well and good, and did help a bit, but the thing that really eased her concerns about the early release was the fact that Maribel was a nurse. She was sure if anything went amiss with Brittany or Nico after going home, she'd figure it out quickly and know what to do. She had complete trust in her mother.

As they walked into the reception area, Maribel stopped to talk to one of the senior citizen hospital volunteers that she was friends with to gush about her new grandson. Santana watched as her mother's face lit up as she said his name and she couldn't help but to smile. She would never forget how her strong-as-nails mother cried the purest tears of joy when she placed the baby in her arms for the first time and said, "Abuela Maribel, meet Nicolas Witt Lopez-Pierce, or Nico as we're going to call him."

When Maribel pulled her cell phone out of her purse to show her friend a few pictures, Santana knew that it was going to take a few minutes, so she went into the gift shop that was across the hall to kill some time. She wandered around, looking at what they had, and she considered buying something for Brittany and Nico, but as she picked up a stuffed elephant, she was suddenly hit with a sense of frugality. _"Do I really need to spend money on this? I can buy a pack of diapers for what this is going to cost me."_ She thought. Then a moment later, her financial situation came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. She didn't have a job. What money she had came from her mother, and she had a real, live baby to take care of now.

She had never set anything back on the shelf so fast in her life. She practically threw it away from her and bolted towards the exit. She was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing and she bumped in to her mother as she was leaving the store.

"Oof." Maribel said grabbing onto Santana to keep her balance. "I was just coming to meet you. What's got you in such a hurry?"

"Mama, I'm broke and jobless and I have a BABY!" She blurted out her emotional thoughts without thinking that they were in a very public place.

Maribel raised a curious eyebrow at her sudden freak out. Five minutes ago, Santana was downright giddy. "Yes, I know that. That's by design, Mija."

Santana just looked at her mother with panic still in her eyes, so Maribel took her by the hand and walked her over to sit on a bench so they could talk.

"Mija, we've talked about this before…the reason you and Brittany don't have jobs is because I don't want you to have one, at least not yet. The only time I've ever brought up one of you getting a job was when the paid photography internship for Brittany presented itself, but that wasn't because of the money, it was because it offered real life experience for Brittany, which will benefit her if she plans on pursuing a degree and career in photography. I'm trying to make sure that you two have the best opportunity to succeed in life. You have so much on your plates as it is with helping around the house and school, and now you have a newborn to take care of… adding jobs to all that right now is just going to be too much."

"But how am I going to provide for the baby if I don't get a job. Babies are expensive and you are paying for everything. That's not fair to you."

Maribel was proud that Santana had the desire to take care of Nico, but she didn't want it to be harder on her than it had to be, not when she could help her.

"Santana, when I first took on the responsibility of bringing Brittany into our home, I knew that I was going to take on the responsibility of providing for the baby financially, at least for a little while. Obviously, that changed a great deal when you two became a couple and decided to co-parent. I've never talked to you about my finances before, but I don't want you to worry. Growing up poor made me fiscally conscious. Your father was that way too. When he was alive, we worked out a plan as to what we would do if something happened to one of us. I never thought I would have to use that plan, but when the unthinkable happened, and I got your father's life insurance payout, I used it to get rid of my debt by paying off the house and my car, I put a little in your college fund, and the rest was put into a retirement account. Financially speaking, I'm doing fine. With my salary, I've been able to pay my bills every month, give you and Brittany an allowance, splurge on things like vacations and fun shopping, and I've been continuing to fund my retirement and savings accounts. And you're right, babies are expensive, but helping you take care our sweet Nico for a few years isn't going to put me in the poor house. In fact, I've already made some adjustments to my budget to include him."

Santana just looked at her mother and she didn't know whether to hug her or cry over how generous she was, but when her mother reached into her purse and handed her two bank cards, one with her name and one with Brittany's name, she teared up.

"These came in the mail today. I was going to wait a few days until we got home and settled to give them to you, but I think you need to see them now. Maybe it will help to easy your mind. I've opened a side account for you two that is attached to my bank account, and I've set it up to transfer $1000 into this account on the first of every month."

Santana gasped at that amount. "Mama! No, that's way too much!"

"It's fine. Don't go crazy and spend it on stupid things, but since you're not paying for rent and groceries, it's more than enough to get what you need for Nico and for you and Brittany to have some spending money for yourselves. When things are more settled and we have a routine worked out with childcare, your school schedules, and my work schedule, we can talk about you getting a part time job that's hopefully in line with your area of study, but for now, I just want you and Brittany to focus on the baby and furthering your educations. That's it, because investing in your future and your son's future is your most important jobs, okay?"

Santana was speechless. She knew that she and Brittany were so lucky to have her mother, because she imagined a lot of people in their situation didn't have someone that was not only capable, but also willing to support them financially while they went to school. "Mama…I…thank you…just…thank you." She rambled as she pulled Maribel in for a tight hug.

"You're welcome, Mija." Maribel said. "I know it's daunting, but we'll get it all worked out."

"I know we will." Santana said and she let out a little sigh of relief.

"Now, let's go get Brittany and Nico packed up and take them home." Maribel said pulling out of the hug and flashing Santana a warm smile.

Santana returned the smile and nodded.

They walked over to the elevator and went up to the third floor. Maribel stopped at the nurse's station for an update from the charge nurse and Santana went straight to Brittany's room. When she arrived, the door was cracked open. She peered inside and saw that Brittany was dressed to go home and standing next to the bassinette. She was talking to the baby as she removed his onesie. She didn't notice Santana.

"Okay my sweet little man; let's get you changed before your mama comes back." She cooed and then leaned down to kiss Nico on his forehead. "What's that? You wanna look your best for her? Well, don't you worry; I've got you covered. The outfit you're going to wear home is going to make your mama and Abuela swoon." She chirped as she positioned a new diaper under him and started to change it. "You wanna know something about them, Nico? We are so lucky. They loved you and me even though they didn't have to. You'll soon see that they are the best people in the whole world." The baby gurgled and Brittany giggled. "I knew you would agree with me." She said smiling.

Santana's heart fluttered in her chest as she watched Brittany have an animated conversation with the baby as she changed his clothes into a long-sleeved, cream onesie, light gray sweatpants, cream socks, and matching gray beanie. When she was finished dressing him, she picked him up and held him against her chest as she sat down on the bed again, humming a soft lullaby to him.

"What are you doing?" Maribel said as she came up to Santana from behind, startling her, and causing her to jump.

"Geez." Santana hissed lowly and put her and on her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry." Maribel said with a sheepish smile.

"It's okay."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I was just watching Brittany be with Nico. It was so cute; I didn't want to disturb them." She said quietly so Brittany wouldn't hear.

Maribel smiled knowingly. "I used to watch your father like that when he was with you too. Just seeing him interact and be so sweet and gentle with you made me love him more."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was feeling." Santana said.

"You'll have a lot of moments like that over the years. Just when you think you can't love her anymore, she'll do something so sweet and innocent, and maybe a little bit silly, and it'll just melt your heart."

Santana nodded. She looked back into the room. "I miss him already." They had only been gone an hour, but it was too long to be away from him.

Maribel chuckled. "Then why are you standing here, go in there and get him."

Santana playfully rolled her eyes and then knocked on the door before she pushed it open. "Hey my loves." She said.

"Hi honey." Brittany said as Santana walked up to her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "We missed you."

"I missed you guys too." Santana said and leaned down, kissing the baby on his cheek.

"I think he needs a little snuggle from his Mama." Brittany said knowing that Santana wanted to hold him and carefully transferred him into her waiting arms.

"Hi, my baby." Santana cooed, cradling him into her and kissing him on his cheek again. "You look so handsome in your outfit, don't you think so Mama?"

"Oh yes, he's such a dapper little man." Maribel said and she couldn't help but to give him a little kiss on his forehead. "Well, I just spoke to the charge nurse, she said that they'll be by in a little while with your discharge paperwork and then we can go home."

Brittany nodded. "Great. I can't wait to take Nico home." She was ready to be in the comfort of her own home again.

They hung out in the room while they waited. Santana told Brittany about the bank cards and her conversation with her mother outside the gift shop, and Brittany started crying too, thanking Maribel profusely. Maribel just gave her a hug and said she "would do anything for her girls and her little man." Eventually, Nico started to get fussy. Brittany knew he was hungry, so she took him out of Santana's arms, unhooked her top, and fed him. Santana burped and changed Nico when he was finished, and then she rocked him in her arms until he fell asleep. When the nurse came into the room to discharge them, Brittany and Maribel had a quick conversation with her about scheduling follow up appointments for both Brittany and Nico. After that, Maribel went to get the car, taking their bags with her, while Santana and Brittany put on Nico's coat and mittens, and then wrapped a blanket around him because, it was February, and it was too cold outside for him to not be bundled up tight.

Santana was holding him when Brittany sighed. "He looks so cute, I want a picture." She said and quickly took her phone out and took a picture of Santana and the baby. "That one is going in our book for sure."

"We're going to need a bigger book." Santana joked because every picture that they had taken since Nico was born, Brittany had claimed that it was worthy of being put in the photo book that she had given Santana for Christmas.

A moment later, the nurse escorted them to the patient pick up area where Maribel met them. After the formality of checking to make sure that the car seat was latched properly, she bid them farewell, and Santana placed Nico into his seat.

He started to cry as she buckled the belts. "Shh, it's okay Nico, we're going home." Santana said in a soft, comforting tone.

"He's spoiled already." Maribel chuckled as she opened the door on the other side so she could lean into the back seat to make sure that he was buckled in correctly. "He obviously likes to be held."

"It's only for a few minutes little man. I promise we can cuddle as soon as we get home." Brittany said to him from behind Santana. She knew that the baby was fine, but just the sound of his crying hurt her heart.

Once the baby was buckled in, and his blanket tucked around him, Santana stepped back and let Brittany sit beside Nico. Immediately, she placed her hand on his belly and started to talk to him in an effort to calm down his crying. Santana watched her from the door. She too hated that he was so upset.

"Santana." Maribel said, getting her attention, and nodded her head towards the back seat so she could sit on the other side of him. She could see the struggle in Santana. She knew that she didn't want to sit in the front seat where she couldn't see him.

Santana closed Brittany's door and she rounded the car. Maribel was holding the door open for her. "Thanks, Mama."

"You're welcome. I'll play chauffeur today, but I want a turn holding him when we get home. I know he's your baby, but you two are hogging him." She teased.

Santana playfully stuck her tongue out at her mother and hopped into the back seat, closing the door behind her. She quickly put on her own seatbelt. Nico had started to calm down, but he was still whimpering, so she leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"See, your mama is here. You have both of us now." Brittany said to Nico, and within moments, his whimpering stopped.

"So, shall we go?" Maribel asked looking back at them in the rearview mirror.

"Yes!" Brittany and Santana chirped at the same time.

As they were pulling out of the hospital parking lot, Santana's phone chimed with a new text message. She pulled it out of her coat pocket and read it.

"Who is it?" Brittany asked when she saw her eyebrow quirk.

"It's Mercedes. She says, _'Hey girl! I know you have a lot on your hands, being a new mom and all, but we just got out of school and me and Kurt and Tina are dying to meet Nico, so we were hoping that we could come by the hospital to see y'all. We won't stay too long, but if it's too much to have visitors right now, we can wait 'til another day'._ "

"Oh." Brittany said with surprise.

"They don't know that you've been discharged already."

Brittany never expected that anyone would want to visit them at the hospital. She loved that she had friends that cared enough to do that. "Um, well if you don't mind, they can come by the house to see him. I wouldn't mind."

"I don't mind since it's just the three of them and not the whole club. I don't think that would be too overwhelming for him. What do you think, Mama?"

"I think small groups of three or four will be fine."

"Are you okay with them coming over now, or do you want to wait an hour or two?" Santana asked Brittany.

"I think now is better. He ate not too long ago, so they should have about an hour before he gets fussy and wants to eat again. He'll probably just want to snuggle with anyone willing to hold him."

Santana chuckled. "That's probably true. He is a cuddler."

"Just like his mama." Brittany cooed and leaned over the car seat to give Santana a soft kiss.

Santana just smiled. "I'll just text Mercedes and tell her to meet us at the house." She said and typed out the message. When her phone chimed with Mercedes' response, she said, "They're going meet us at the house in ten minutes. They're leaving the school now."

When they got home, they went into the living room, and a few minutes later they heard Kurt's SUV pull into the driveway. Santana opened the door and Mercedes immediately pulled her into a hug.

"Congratulations, Mommy Santana!" She cheered. "Now, where is he?! His Aunties and Uncle are here."

Santana chuckled. She loved the enthusiasm. "He's in the living room with Brittany and Mom."

"Hello, Santana." Kurt said hugging her and then said, "I call dibs on holding him first!"

"No way!" Mercedes said.

"Ugh, no fair." Tina protested and hugged Santana as she stepped into the house. "Hi Santana, we didn't expect you to be home so soon. How is everyone doing?"

"Brittany's sore, but she's not having any complications. We're all tired, but we're doing well, especially now that he's here and home with us." Santana said closing the door.

"Aww, that's good." Mercedes said. "Quinn wanted to come with us, but Sue grabbed her in the hallway right before I texted you. She tried, but couldn't get out of whatever Sue told her she had to do, so she said that she'll call you tomorrow to plan a time for her and Mike to come by."

"Artie wanted to come by too." Tina added. "But he thought that it may be too many people at once, so he and I will try to come by again soon."

"Sounds good. So, I know you didn't come here to see me, but before you see Nico, just go in the kitchen and wash your hands." Santana said and they all went into the kitchen to do as they were told before going into the living room.

When they saw Nico for the first time, Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt all let out excited squeals.

"He's even cuter in person!" Mercedes and Tina said at the same time.

"Oh. My. God. He is!" Kurt said bouncing on his toes. "Look at how tiny he is! He's like a little bean!"

Brittany just giggled, looking up at them from her seat on the couch. Nico was in Maribel's arms beside her, and she kissed him on the forehead. "He is the cutest baby ever. So who gets to hold him first?"

"Me!" All three of them said at the same time. "Hey, I called dibs first!" Kurt pouted.

"That doesn't count." Santana said. "I think since Mercedes' cousin helped Brittany when she went into labor, she should be the first one to hold him."

"Yes!" Mercedes said and Tina and Kurt's faces fell.

"What kind of logic is that? Kristina is the one that helped her, not Mercedes." Kurt said.

"Mom logic." Santana said with a smirk.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue with her.

Maribel stood up from her seat and carefully transferred Nico into her arms. When Mercedes sat down beside Brittany and he curled into her and sighed, her face broke out into the widest smile.

"I'm in heaven. I could hold him forever. He is so sweet."

"Yeah, he is." Santana said sitting on the arm of the couch beside Brittany and putting her arm around her. "He's just like his mommy."

"He has some of his mama in him too." Brittany said looking up at Santana.

"When he's cranky, I'm sure." Kurt joked.

Santana playfully chucked a throw pillow at him. "Watch it Hummel, or I won't let you have a turn."

Kurt held up his hands, because he didn't want to call Santana's bluff, just in case she didn't let him hold Nico. "Okay, fine. I concede."

"He definitely looks like Brittany, but I think he looks a little like Santana too." Tina said honestly.

Santana beamed. She was glad someone other than her mother and Brittany thought that as well. "And this is why Tina gets to hold him next."

"Ugh." Kurt pouted as Tina stuck her tongue out at him in victory.

"Someone take a picture of me holding him." Mercedes said as she nuzzled the baby's soft, fuzzy head with her nose.

"I'll do it." Brittany said reaching for her phone that was on the coffee table.

"Nope." Santana said taking her phone out of her hand. She knew Brittany only offered to do it so she would have the picture on her own phone. "I'll do it. You sit and rest."

"Thanks." Brittany said with a tired smile.

Over the next forty minutes, Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt took turns gushing over Nico. When he started to cry, Kurt was holding him.

"Oh no, don't cry. Your mama is going to kill me if she thinks I did something to you." He said shooting Santana a wink.

"That's right, and don't you forget it." Santana said smirking.

Brittany just chuckled and reached out to take him from Kurt's arms. He calmed as she cradled him against her, and he rubbed his face into her chest. "He's just hungry. I fed him about two hours ago, so it's time for him to eat again."

"Then I guess that's our cue to leave." Mercedes said standing up.

"When are you coming back to school?" Tina asked standing up from her seat as well.

"Two or three weeks, whenever Brittany feels better physically, but we aren't going back to our regular classes." Santana said. "Mom worked it out with Miss Pillsbury for both of us to finish out the semester in night school."

"Oh really?" Kurt said and the disappointment in his, Mercedes, and Tina's faces was evident.

"Yeah, it's only from 6-10pm, so we'll have more time at home with Nico." Brittany said. "We'll have spring break at the same time as you guys, and we still get to go to prom and graduation with you, but we'll just be in a different class."

"I guess that makes sense, but we're going to miss you at school. It won't be the same without y'all there." Mercedes said.

"Well, that just means that you'll have to make time to see each other between school and on the weekends." Maribel said. "I'm sure Nico would love to have visitors.

"Oh you better believe we'll be by to visit." Tina said. "I can't get enough of him."

"Make sure you bring coffee." Santana joked.

"Consider it done." Tina said and kissed Nico on his forehead. "Bye little man. We'll see you soon."

"Bye." Mercedes said giving the baby a kiss as well.

"If you guys need anything, let us know." Kurt said. "I mean it; I'm available to baby sit if you need it."

"Oh, me too!" Mercedes and Tina said as well.

Brittany and Santana just chuckled. "We'll let you know." Santana said.

"We're going to hold you to that." Mercedes said as Santana and Brittany walked them to the door. "Take care and we'll talk to you soon."

"See ya. Thanks for stopping by to visit!" Brittany said.

After they closed the door, Brittany leaned into Santana, careful not to squish the baby between them, and kissed her softly on her lips. "We have the best friends. I'm so glad Nico has so many people that love him already."

"I am too."

"It's just that it means a lot to me, you know? I spent so much time alone, without anyone to be there for me, and I don't want him to ever know what that feels like."

"He won't." Santana said and she kissed Brittany on the lips again, and then kissed Nico on his cheek. "He is always going to know what it feels like to be loved and wanted."

Brittany nodded and nuzzled the baby's hair with her nose. "You'll be okay, I promise."

Nico squirmed in her arms and rubbed his face into her chest again, opening and closing his mouth in an effort to find her nipple.

Santana chuckled. She thought it was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. "Do you want to feed him upstairs or down here?" Santana asked.

"Let's do it upstairs. He hasn't even seen his room yet."

"Okay." Santana said with a smile. "Mama, we're going to go upstairs so Brittany can feed Nico." She called into the living room.

"Sounds good. I'll just be down here tidying up. Call me if you need anything." Maribel said.

When they started up the stairs, Brittany winced as she took the first two steps and stopped.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked.

"Yeah…it's just a little uncomfortable."

"It looks more than uncomfortable, Brittany." Santana could see the pain in her face.

"I'm fine, I promise. I'm just really sensitive down there right now, and it caught me off guard. I guess it's going to take a few days before I can climb the stairs normally… maybe you should carry Nico up, just to be on the safe side."

"Okay." Santana said and took the baby into her arms. "Do you want mom to help you up?"

Brittany shook her head. "I've got it; I just need to go slow."

"Just be careful." Santana said torn between calling her mother and letting Brittany test the waters. "If it hurts too much, just stop. Don't push it. You don't want to rip any of your stitches."

"I'll be careful." Brittany said as she put her hands on both handrails and carefully and slowly climbed the stairs.

When they got to the top of the stairs, Santana gave the baby back to Brittany. They went into his room, and Santana turned on the lamp on the little table beside the rocking chair.

"Here's your room, Nico. What do you think?" Brittany said.

Nico just squirmed and a few annoyed wails left his mouth. He was growing impatient.

"I don't think he's that impressed." Santana joked.

"I don't think he cares about anything right now, except food and sleep." Brittany chuckled and sat down in the rocking chair. Santana sat at her feet and just watched as she fed and rocked Nico to sleep. When he was finished, Brittany burped him and then cradled him in her arms again.

"How are you feeling, Britt?" Santana asked as she rested a hand on her thigh.

"I'm so tired." Brittany said with a yawn. She was exhausted from the combination of the less than comfortable hospital bed and the baby waking up every hour and a half. On top of that, her body felt as if had been put through the ringer from the birthing process.

"I'm sure you are. Why don't you go to bed and take a little nap? I'll take him and give him a bottle when he wakes up."

"Aren't you tired too?" Brittany asked furrowing her eyebrows.

Santana had been with her the whole time. Every time Nico woke up during the night, Santana had been the one to get up to get him out of the bassinette. She'd put him in Brittany's arms so she could feed him, and then Santana would burp and change him before putting him back in his bassinette.

"I'm okay." Santana said, stretching the truth. She was exhausted as well, but she had not been the one to go through the physical demand of giving birth, so she would push through and take care of the baby while Brittany got some much needed rest.

"San, you're so sweet, but I know you're tired."

"I'm fine. I want you to rest." Santana insisted.

"You should come lay down with me. I need Santana cuddles."

Santana looked up into her pleading eyes and she was finding it hard to turn her down. "Okay, I will, but only if you promise that when Nico wakes up, you stay in bed and let me take care of him."

Brittany smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Santana propped up onto her knees and leaned in so she could give Brittany a soft kiss. "I'm going to go down stairs and get a bottle ready, that way I just have to warm it up."

"Do you want me to pump? Your mom will probably have to help me with it the first time, but I'm sure it won't take her long to teach me."

Santana shook her head. She wanted Brittany to get into bed right away. "You just fed him, so you're probably good for a little while. I'll just use the formula next time and you can pump after your nap."

"Alright."

"You go get into bed, and I'll be back in a few minutes." Santana said standing up and kissing Brittany one more time before she left the room.

She went downstairs to find her mother looking into the refrigerator with a concentrated look on her face.

"What do you want for dinner?" Maribel asked.

Santana knew that her mother was tired too, so she suggested take out. "Mama, don't cook, let's just order something. We're all tired."

Maribel just nodded and closed the door. "Yeah, that's a good idea. A couple the girls from work offered to bring a few meals, but I told them to hold off until tomorrow."

"That sounds good."

"So what's up?"

"I need to make a bottle. Brittany needs to rest and I'm going to lay down with her until Nico wants to eat, so I just want to get it ready now so all I have to do is heat it up."

"Ah, yes." Maribel said and she reached for a container of formula and a clean bottle from the cabinet. "Do you need help?"

"I think I got it. It's just two ounces of water and a scoop of the formula…right?" She asked, just to be sure.

"You got it. And here's a trick for warming it up later… take one of the big coffee mugs, and put the bottle in it, then fill the mug with water, that way it's already premeasured so you don't end up overflowing the cup and spilling hot water. Then when you need to heat it up, just put the mug in the microwave by itself, and after it's warm, put the bottle in the mug to heat it. It's so much easier that way."

Santana nodded. She was so glad her mother was full of helpful little tips. "Okay, thanks."

"You know, if you two are going to lay down for a while, I think I will too."

"You should." Santana said. Her mother not only worked most of her shift the day before, she was up all night with them, showing them what to do with Nico.

"Come get me if you need help with anything. I'll order a couple of pizzas when we get up."

"Okay. Sleep well Mama."

"You too, Mija." Maribel said with a tired smile and left the kitchen.

Santana readied the bottle and coffee mug, and then she went upstairs to join Brittany. She tiptoed into the room and from the light that was coming in the window from the closed blinds; she could see Nico lying asleep in the bassinette at the foot of their bed. She quickly changed into her pajamas and slipped into bed.

Brittany scooted closer, so she was up against Santana, and then she kissed her. Santana happily returned the kiss and deepened it. When they parted, Santana wrapped her arm around Brittany's back as she rested her head on Santana's chest and draped her arm around her waist.

"This feels so good. I'm so glad to be home." Brittany sighed.

"Me too." Santana whispered.

"Santana, thank you."

"I just made a bottle; you don't have to thank me for that."

"Yes I do, for the bottle, and for so much more. You've been so supportive and helpful with everything, doing whatever you can to make things easier on me, and I'm just so glad that I don't have to do it alone."

"You know I'd do anything for you, and Nico."

"I know you would, and I would do anything for you two as well. I love you both so much. It's just… I don't think I could do this without you. You've kept me sane the past few weeks, and I don't even want to imagine what yesterday would have been like if you weren't there to help me through it."

Santana turned her head and kissed Brittany on the top of her head. "Brittany, don't put yourself down like that. You would have been fine without me. You are stronger than you think, but I'm glad I was there to help you, because you don't have to do anything alone anymore, we're in this together."

Brittany smiled and sighed contently. "You and me…"

"…forever and ever." Santana finished with a smile and kissed her on top of her head again. "Come on; let's try to get some sleep. You need all the rest you can get."

"Okay, San. I love you."

"I love you too."

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading! As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you get a chance, please let me know what you thought.

Also, I was having some weird, technical difficulties with this website a few weeks ago. I tried to update **Going to the Movies** , but it wouldn't post the chapter, even though it showed an update, which caused some confusion at the time. I had several people contact me about it. Eventually, I was able to post it, but in case the glitch caused anyone to miss it, chapter 9 was updated.

To my beta **naynay1963** , thank you for all your help! You're the best :-)

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The sound of Nico whimpering through the baby monitor took Brittany and Santana from their sleep. They knew it wouldn't take long before he started wailing. Santana sighed and then rolled over to look at the clock on her side of the bed. It was just after seven o'clock in the morning. Nico had been kind enough to let them sleep for four hours this time. A stretch that long at night was a luxury for them these days.

"Do you want to feed him or do you want me to get a bottle?" Santana mumbled into her pillow.

"I'll feed him. I'm full." Brittany said with a yawn and flipped the blankets away from her.

Santana flipped the blankets away from her as well and sat up, but Brittany stopped her. "You don't have to get up. Try to sleep a little longer."

"Britt, no. If you're getting up, I'm getting up too."

She wouldn't feel right about doing that to Brittany. They always did the late and early feedings together because that was when they were both so groggy, and it was such a help to have someone else there. It definitely made things faster, and the company in the middle of the night was nice too.

"Honey, I appreciate that, but we've been burning the candle at both ends since Nico was born. We're exhausted. We're like one step away from being walking zombies."

Santana chuckled. "Okay, it's not that bad. We're maybe _two_ steps away from being zombies. Mommy Zombies. Oooo, wait a minute… _Mombies._ "

Brittany playfully rolled her eyes and giggled. "Okay, now I know you've cracked. Anyway, to be serious for a moment, I was thinking that since it's spring break we should take this week for both of us to try to catch up on our sleep. I'll get him now, and then in a couple of hours you can take him and I'll take a nap."

"I don't…" Santana started to protest, but then hesitated. She knew Brittany was right. They needed more sleep. She sighed. "Okay, you're right, but if you need anything, wake me up."

"Okay."

"I mean it Britt."

"I promise if I need you for anything, I'll come to get you." Brittany said coming over to Santana's side of the bed and pecked her on her lips. "Get some sleep, honey."

"Okay." Santana said and pecked her lips again just as Nico's patience ran out and he started crying loudly. She couldn't help but to chuckle, despite the fact that her baby was crying and upset. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he was my biological child with how short his fuse is."

"It's only when he's hungry. The rest of the time he's patient and as sweet as could be." Brittany said with a tired smile.

"That's true." Santana said with a nod. He was usually a calm baby. He would fuss a bit when he wanted to attention, or if he needed a diaper change, but he would lose it when he was hungry. The boy loved his food and didn't like waiting to eat.

"I'll see you in a bit." Brittany said and hurried out of the room.

Santana laid down and pulled the blanket around her, tucking it under her neck. She looked at the video monitor and watched Brittany pick up Nico.

" _It's okay little man. I promise we aren't going to let you starve."_ The sound of Brittany's lighthearted voice came through the monitor. Santana watched her kiss the baby on his cheeks and then Brittany winked at the monitor, knowing that she was watching her. _"Go back to sleep honey."_ She said blowing her a kiss and then unplugged the monitor.

Santana just chuckled. Brittany knew her well. "Alright, sleep it is." She said rolling over and closing her eyes.

When she woke up again, there was a lot of light coming in the window. She turned to look at the clock and saw that it was noon. She practically jumped out of the bed. She couldn't believe that she had slept that long. She felt so bad, because she actually felt more refreshed than she had since before Nico had been born, and she knew that Brittany needed that too.

She quickly left the room, went to the bathroom to relieve her bladder and brush her hair and teeth, and then she sprinted down the stairs. She heard the T.V. and figured that Brittany was in the living room.

"Brittany, I'm so sorry-" She started to say, but she was cut off by her mother.

"Sssshhh! She's asleep."

"Oh?" Santana squeaked. Maribel was feeding Nico a bottle on the love seat and Brittany was sleeping on the couch, her mouth open and snoring lightly. She never slept like that, so Santana knew that she was out completely. "How long has she been sleeping?" She whispered.

"About three hours. I made breakfast for us and then I told her to go up to bed, but she didn't want to accidentally wake you. When I suggested she take my bed or the futon in the nursery, she said she was too tired to climb the stairs, so she curled up on the couch and fell asleep. I put a blanket over her and she's been dead to the world since."

"I'm glad she's asleep." Santana said sitting beside her mother. "She wouldn't let me get up with her this morning and I felt bad for sleeping so long."

"How do you feel after sleeping in?"

"Good. Almost like a normal person again."

Maribel chuckled. "I know that feeling. Hopefully he'll start sleeping longer through the night for you soon." She paused for a moment and then added. "You know I can help more at night." She had helped them get through the first week, mostly guiding them, and showing them what to do, but after that, her offer to do some of the night feedings was always turned down.

Santana smiled down at the baby who was looking up at her. "I know you can, but you work in life or death situations, so you should be well rested."

"Well that is true, but that doesn't mean that you two have to do it every time. I can do it sometimes. Do you know how many couples would love to have a grandparent do some of the nighttime stuff?"

Santana leaned down and kissed Nico on his forehead and then she nuzzled is head with her nose before she sat up and looked at her mother. "I guess you're right, but we didn't want to bother you with it."

"You are not bothering me, not where you three are concerned. I want to do it. I can do it on my off days if that will make you feel better about it."

"It would. We talked about it, and we just don't want you going to work tired. It's one thing for Brittany and me to go to school tired. It's only four hours and nothing that a cup of coffee can't help us get through, but you work for twelve hours in a chaotic emergency room. You have a lot of sick and hurt people counting on you to be at your best."

Maribel chuckled and shook her head.

"What?" Santana asked.

"It's just that a year ago I couldn't see you saying something like that, or even thinking about it, but now you are more considerate of others and aware of things going on around you."

Santana's cheeks heated up. "I guess I've grown up a bit."

"You've grown up _a lot_ ; and I'm proud of you. I don't care what anyone says, you have matured into a lovely young woman. There's a lot of people out there that aren't half as supportive to their partners as you're are, and you're a great mother to Nico."

Santana couldn't help but to smile shyly. "Well, I had a great teacher."

Maribel smiled shyly too and leaned over kissing Santana on her forehead. "Thanks, Mija. You'll find as a parent, you worry so much about whether what you're doing is the right things, and sometimes you don't get it right, but when you get the big things right, it just makes you so happy."

Santana nodded. "I know. I worry about that now, but Nico is so young that he doesn't understand much yet."

"He does, in his own way. He knows he's loved, and that makes a big impression on a baby."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So, anyway, it's settled. I'm getting up tonight with Nico, and you and Brittany are going to get some sleep."

Santana chuckled as Maribel took Nico's empty bottle out of his mouth. "Alright, he's all yours tonight, but for now, I'll burp and change him, and then get my cuddles in, because I haven't seen him in forever."

"Sounds good." Maribel said handing the baby over to her. "I think I'll make lunch. I'm sure you're hungry, and Brittany will be hungry when she wakes up."

-()-()-()-()-

Santana and Brittany were upstairs when the doorbell rang around three-thirty. Santana had just given Nico a bottle and was about to change him. Brittany was putting away his clean clothes. They both turned to each other with confused looks.

"Is someone supposed to be coming over today?" Brittany asked. It was a Sunday and the beginning of spring break; some of their friends had said that they wanted to hang out with them and the baby over the break, but she knew they wouldn't just come over without calling first, just in case it woke Nico.

"No. Maybe it's Mom." Santana said laying Nico down on the changing table. Maribel had gone out a little while ago to see a friend, and she was going to stop by the store to pick up something for dinner. "Maybe she bought more than she expected and needs help bringing something in the house."

"Maybe. I'll get the door." Brittany said as the doorbell rang a second time and she hurried down the stairs. She looked through the window to see who was there, and it shocked her. She unlocked the door and opened it. "Marcus? Hi."

"Hi, Brittany." He said with a nervous smile.

"This is a surprise."

"I know, sorry for stopping by like this. I wasn't planning to come by, but I guess I couldn't stop myself. Is it okay if I come in?"

"Um, yeah. Of course." She said and opened the door a little wider for him.

"How's it going?" He asked when she closed the door.

"Oh you know; we're up to our eyeballs in baby stuff, but it's going great." She said with a chuckle.

"Mike told me a couple of weeks ago that you had had the baby."

"Yeah, Nico will be eight weeks old tomorrow."

"It's been eight weeks already? Well you look great."

Most of Britany's baby weight had fallen off already, but now that the doctor had cleared her to return to her normal activities, she was planning to work on losing the last fifteen pounds so she could fit into her old clothes again.

"I don't know about that, but thank you." She said with a chuckle looking down at her yoga pants and t-shirt that thankfully didn't have any spit up on it yet.

She was also thankful that even though she didn't have any makeup on, and her hair was just up in a simple ponytail, she had showered before Maribel left, so she didn't look like a total slob in front of him. He was Santana's ex-boyfriend, and while she knew there was no competition between them for her affection, she still didn't want to look terrible in front of him.

"Trust me, you do. You don't even look like you've had a baby."

Brittany couldn't help but to smile, because she could tell by the look on his face, he was being genuine. "Thanks. So, I'm guessing I'm not the one you came here to see."

"Actually, I did want to see you, and the baby, but you're right, I really came by to see Santana. I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes."

"She's just upstairs changing Nico. I'll go get her."

"I'll just wait on the couch." He said and looked into the room to see if Maribel was there.

"Maribel is out, but she should be back soon though." Brittany said.

"Oh okay." He said and then awkwardly pointed to the living room. "I guess I'll see you in a minute."

Brittany climbed the stairs and went into the nursery.

"Britt, I swear Nico has my wicked sense of humor. I think he waits until I have a clean diaper under him and then he pees again, just to mess with me. I was quick this time to block it, so he didn't pee on me."

"Well that's good, because you have a visitor downstairs, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to be covered in baby pee." Brittany said.

"Who?" Santana said quirking her eyebrow.

"Marcus."

"What?!" Santana said furrowing her eyebrows. "Marcus is here?"

Brittany nodded. "He said he wanted to talk to you."

"Oh…um, okay." She stammered.

She was not expecting that at all. She had no idea that he was in town, or even going to be in town. The last time they had any interaction together was over three and a half months ago when Marcus called to ask her if the rumors were true about her and Brittany dating. He had said that they were still friends, but as the weeks went by, and she heard nothing from him, she wasn't so sure. Not that she blamed him for keeping his distance. She knew that she had broken his heart, and even though she still wanted to be friends, she knew that that was not up to her anymore. She was sure that the chances that their friendship could survive that heartbreak was slim, but nonetheless, she was curious as to what was on his mind. She looked down at herself, and she was dressed similarly to Brittany, only her t-shirt actually did have spit up on it.

"Um, let me change my shirt real quick." She said.

"Okay." Brittany said and pecked her on the lips.

Santana went into her room, took off her shirt, and threw it in the laundry basket before she pulled another one out of a drawer and put it on. She looked at herself in the mirror and she wished that she had known that Marcus was coming, then maybe she'd look more put together. She may not have any romantic feelings for him, but she couldn't help but to feel like she didn't want to look frumpy in front her ex. She decided to redo her ponytail, smoothing it out as much as she could, and she thought about putting some makeup on, but in the end, she decided against it. It would take too much time.

When she went back into the nursery, Brittany was sitting in the rocker, holding Nico. She held out her arms and Brittany transferred him to her.

"Are you ready to go down?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah." She said in a normal tone, but she was actually a little nervous. She had no idea what Marcus wanted to talk about, and was afraid that it was bad news.

They went downstairs and when they turned the corner into the living room, the first thing Santana noticed was that Marcus was bigger, stronger. He had obviously been working out more than he used to.

"Hi, Santana." Marcus said standing up and she could hear the nervousness in his voice as he said her name. That actually made her more nervous, because she wasn't sure why he was nervous.

"Hi, Marcus." She said with a little smile, forcing her voice to stay steady.

For a moment, they both felt awkward, not knowing whether they should hug each other or not, so they didn't. They just stood there looking at each other.

"I was surprised when Brittany told me you were here. I didn't know you were going to be in town." Santana said.

"I know. I told Mike that mom and I were coming up to tour Ohio State, and since we were going to be in Ohio, we decided to spend spring break in Lima visiting friends, but I asked him not to tell you I was going to be here."

"Chang knew, but didn't tell me?" Santana said furrowing her eyebrows. Her feelings were hurt, because if Mike knew, then Quinn knew, which means two of her closest friends kept this a secret from her. "Why didn't you want me to know?"

"Because…" Marcuse sighed, looking down at his feet and then back at her. "When I told Mike that we made the plans to come up here to tour the school, it was around New Years, and I just wasn't ready to see you yet. It had only been two weeks and I was still upset by everything. What I was hoping my future would look like changed instantly after we talked last, and I was struggling with the idea that you and I were never going to be together again, so I didn't think seeing you would be such a good idea."

Santana nodded. She could understand that. She was sure that if the roles were reversed, she wouldn't be so quick to open her wounds again either. "I get it."

Marcus nodded. "I didn't plan to come by to see you at all, and I was hoping that we wouldn't run across each other around town either."

Santana swallowed hard. She had resigned herself to the idea that she had lost Marcus as a friend, but hearing him say that was hard, and it hurt. "So, is that why you came by? To tell me to stay away from you if I saw you?" She said softly. She adjusted Nico in her arms, holding him tighter against her for some comfort.

Marcus' eyes widened for a split second and then he shook his head. "No. No, not at all."

"Then-"

Marcus sighed and covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry; this isn't coming across the way I wanted it to."

"Um, why don't you two sit down and start over." Brittany suggested. "I'll take the baby and give you some time alone."

"No, don't go." Santana said looking up at her with pleading eyes. "I don't want you to go." Anything that Marcus had to say to her, she wanted Brittany to hear it as well.

"You don't have to go." Marcus said. "Please stay."

Brittany looked between Marcus and Santana and then nodded. "Okay." She said but she held out her arms for the baby. She wanted the two of them to talk without any distraction.

Santana reluctantly gave Nico to Brittany. Marcus sat down on the couch, and then a moment later, Santana sat down beside him. Brittany sat down on the love seat and just watched them.

"Britany's right, I need to start over." Marcus said. "I'm not here to tell you to stay away from me, let's just get that out there right now."

"So why are you here?" Santana asked.

"Because, I missed you, Santana." Marcus said. "I've missed you every day since I moved to Florida. Even when I was mad, I missed you. I was in town for less than an hour before I found myself walking over here."

"I missed you too, Marcus, more than I think you'll ever believe, but if you're trying to talk me into getting back together with you-"

"I'm not." Marcus interrupted, shaking his head. "I'm not trying to do that."

Internally, Santana sighed in relief. She was glad that they weren't going to have to go down that road, because breaking his heart the first time was hard enough, she wasn't sure she could handle doing it a second time.

"I miss my _friend_." Marcus said. "We've been friends for ten years, Santana. We've been through some difficult stuff together, and that still means something to me. It's true that I was upset that you didn't love me the way I love you, but I know you love me as a friend, and I'm not willing to lose that."

Santana couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face.

"It took a lot of time and nights in the gym working out my frustration to realize that, and to be honest, I'm not over you 100% yet, but that's okay. I will be one day. I know you're happy with Brittany. I've come to terms with that, and I know I would hate myself forever if I lost your friendship."

"I don't want to lose you either." Santana said. "I thought I had, but I'm so happy to hear that you still want to be friends."

Marcus smiled. "Friends forever."

"Friends forever." Santana repeated, smiling.

"Is it okay to hug you, or is that not okay anymore?" Marcus asked and then glanced over to Brittany.

"It's okay with me, if it's okay with Santana." Brittany said and she felt relieved as well. She knew how much it hurt Santana to think that Marcus was out of her life forever, so she was happy that they could reconcile their friendship. She was secure enough in their relationship that she was not jealous or suspicious of them being friends again.

"It's definitely okay with me." Santana said and she and Marcus hugged.

Santana finally relaxed when she felt his arms wrap around her. Marcus closed his eyes when he felt her close to him, and squeezed her a little tighter. This was the closure that he needed to move on from their failed romantic relationship and return to their friendship.

When they pulled out of the hug, Santana smiled at Marcus and then looked toward Brittany and Nico. She saw Brittany smiling back at her. She was so happy, she felt as if she could burst. She looked back at Marcus and she asked, "Do you want to meet Nico?"

Marcus nodded. "Yes, absolutely."

Santana stood up, and Brittany brought the baby over to her. She took him into her arms and he looked up at her. "Hey my little man. I have someone I want you to meet." She said and kissed him on his forehead. "This is your Uncle Marcus. He's one of mama's best and oldest friends, and I know you'll just love him too."

"Mama?" Marcus asked raising one of his eyebrows. He had not been told by anyone that Santana intended to raise Nico as his mother.

Santana nodded. "Mm-hmm. Meet my son, Nico Lopez-Pierce." She carefully transferred him into Marcus' arms.

Marcus looked down at the baby and he couldn't help but to smile. "He's so cute." He said. "Hi, Nico. How you doing buddy?"

Nico cooed as he looked up at him and he smiled at him. After a few moments of interacting with the baby, Marcus looked at Santana sitting beside him again, and Brittany who was sitting on the arm of the couch behind her with her arms wrapped around Santana's shoulders. They were both smiling at him.

"I think he's wonderful." He said with a genuine chuckle.

Brittany and Santana chuckled too. "We think so too." Brittany said.

"It's hard to believe, but I see both of you in him." He said.

"That's what everyone keeps saying." Santana said beaming. The more people that said that, the more she believed that it wasn't just a trick of her eyes, or wishful thinking.

For the next thirty minutes, Marcus held and played with the baby as they talked and caught up with what was going on in each other's lives. Santana was happy to hear that after his campus tour from the previous day, Marcus had decided to accept an offer to go to college at Ohio State. Since she and Brittany were going to be going to Lima Community, it meant that they were only going to be an hour and half away from each other. She hoped that meant they would see him more often.

When Nico made a shrieking noise and waved his arms, it interrupted their conversation. Marcus looked down at him and he thought he was going to start crying, but he was just looking up at him expectantly. "I'm sorry, am I not paying you enough attention?" He said with a chuckle. "Well tell me what's on your mind." He said and leaned down a bit, pretending that he was trying to hear what the baby was saying to him. "You think I'm the best uncle ever? That's cool. Oh what else?" He paused for a moment and then said. "You want me to teach you how to play football?" He said in a playful tone. "You got it, Buddy."

"Nope, no football." Santana said immediately. "It's too much of a contact sport." She did not want him playing football, and she was sure that Brittany would feel the same way.

"Okay, your mama said no football, so I'll teach you how to play basketball and baseball, how's that sound?"

Nico gurgled and Brittany chuckled. "I think that's a yes." She said.

"Awesome." Marcus said. "I think I know what I'm getting you for Christmas and your birthday for the next couple of years then."

Santana giggled and shook her head as she watched him talk to the baby. She loved that Marcus had taken to Nico so quickly.

A couple of minutes later, they heard car pull into the driveway.

"Mom must be home." Santana said.

"Is your Abuela home?" Marcus said to the baby in a light tone. "I think she is."

When Maribel walked in the house, she had two plastic bags in her hands. "The next time I have the bright idea to go to the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon, someone one stop me. It was a mad house in there. It took forever to get less than ten things." She huffed as she looked into the living room. When she saw Marcus, she smiled widely. "Marcus?! Honey! This is a surprise!" She said, setting the bags on the floor and walking into the living room towards him.

Marcus stood up, Nico still in his left arm and he bent down to hug Maribel with his right arm. "Hey Mrs. Lopez. Mom and I are up for spring break, so I thought I would come by for a little bit."

Maribel looked down at Santana and Brittany over his shoulder. The fact that Marcus was holding the baby and the happy looks on the girls' faces told her all she needed to know. Santana and Marcus were friends again. She was very happy about that.

They pulled out of the hug and Maribel kissed the baby on his cheek. "Hello, my little man. I missed you."

Nico smiled widely when she spoke to him.

"Do you want to hold him?" Marcus offered.

"I always want to hold him, but I'll get a cuddle with him later, you're just meeting him."

"Okay." Marcus said and sat back down on the couch.

"How have you been honey?"

"I've been okay. I got accepted to Ohio State. I'm going in the fall."

"That's great! You'll be close by again."

Marcus nodded. "I'm sure I'll find time to come up and visit."

"I hope so." Maribel and Santana said at the same time. "So what do you think of our little Nico?" Maribel asked.

"I think he's great. I love him already." Marcus said as Nico wrapped his little hand around his finger.

"I wish that was the case with everyone." She said without thinking and then the smile that was on her face faded. "Um, I better get this dinner started. Marcus, you'll stay for dinner, right?" She asked, going to the bags that she had left on the floor.

Marcus scrunched his eyebrows at her sudden change of behavior. He looked to Santana and she give him a flat smile, but nodded indicating that he should stay.

"If you're cooking, I wouldn't miss it." He said.

"Good. I'll be back in a bit to chat once I get the food started." Maribel said leaving the room without looking back.

"What was that all about?" Marcus whispered.

Santana sighed. She considered going after her mother, because she thought she might be crying, but she knew that she needed a few minutes alone. She didn't like people seeing her cry. "She's upset about my abuela." She said and Brittany wrapped her arms around her again, holding her tightly, and kissing her softly on her temple.

"What for? Is she sick?"

Santana shook her head. "No, she didn't take the news about me and Brittany well. We didn't tell her about us being together, but a few days after Nico was born, Mom called to tell her everything, and she basically disowned me for being gay. At Christmas, she told me she was looking forward to meeting Brittany, but now she won't acknowledge that Brittany exists anymore. And probably the worst part about it is that she won't accept that Nico is a part of the family."

"That's terrible." Marcus frowned.

"Mom even wrote her a long letter and sent her pictures of us and of Nico, hoping that if she could see him, and how happy we all are that she would change her mind, but the letter was returned unopened."

"Damn, that's harsh." Marcus said shaking his head. "Even I can tell how much you two love each other. What's wrong with that?"

"Well, she still won't talk to mom for 'allowing me to live in sin'. Mom calls her every Sunday, just like she has for years, and when she answers the phone and hears mom's voice, she hangs up on her. She's not a fan of wasting money on technology, but I'm just waiting for the day that she gets Caller ID and she stops answering the phone all together."

"Maribel took the whole week off work because she was supposed to come up from Puerto Rico to spend spring break and Easter with us, but she canceled the trip." Brittany said.

"Are you okay?" Marcus asked Santana. He knew how much her abuela meant to her.

"I mean, yes, and no. I'm trying not to focus on it too much, because if she doesn't want to be around us, then it's her loss, not ours, but she is my Abuela, and I am sad about the whole thing. What she said hurts, and Brittany feels like it's all her fault, even though I keep telling her it isn't. I thought that maybe after she had some time to absorb the information, she'd come around, but it's been close to eight weeks. Mom called her today only to be hung up on again."

"God, Santana. I'm so sorry. If I ever made you feel like that after I found out about you two-"

"You didn't." Santana said. "It's was different with you. You weren't upset because I was gay, you were upset because you loved me, and you thought I loved you the same way, but then I hurt you by telling you I didn't. I understood why you were upset and kept your distance, and I didn't blame you. I probably would have done the same thing."

Marcus sighed and looked down at the baby. "How can anyone not love this little guy?"

"I don't know." Santana said shrugging her shoulders. She hated that her abuela's old-world views were keeping her away from her family. She knew if she would just set aside her prejudice for a minute and met Brittany and Nico, or even just looked at the pictures, she would love them.

"Maybe she'll come around in the future when she realizes what a big mistake she's made by ignoring her family for things outside of anyone's control." Marcus said, trying to be optimistic.

"I hope so." Brittany said. She never met Alma, so she didn't have any great love for her, but she knew that Santana and Maribel loved her, and that was enough for her to have affection for her too.

"I guess only time will tell, but I hope for Mom's sake she does. She's taking this the hardest." Santana said. She had thought about it from her mother's point of view, and she imagined how she would feel if Maribel stopped talking to her and disowned Nico. She knew that it would tear her up inside.

"Well let's hope." Marcus said. "So…" He said to change the subject to something lighter. "How about you two show me the nursery. I'm sure it looks great."

-()-()-()-()-

Later that night, Brittany was sitting at the table feeding Nico after his bath, and Santana was humming to herself as she prepared a couple of bottles for the night.

"It was nice having Marcus here tonight. He was so sweet to Nico, and to me. I really like him." Brittany said.

They had gotten along well all night, even laughing and joking at times. As he was leaving, he gave her a hug and told her that he was happy for her and Santana and he hoped that while he was in town they could work on becoming friends. She readily agreed, because she wanted them to be friends as well.

"Yeah, he's great. I really missed him."

"I know you did. I'm glad that you two made up."

"Me too." Santana said with a smile.

"I think your mom missed him too. Did you see how much food she put on his plate? And he ate it all!" Brittany giggled.

Santana chuckled too. "That's normal. Marcus has always had a healthy appetite."

"Well, with as much as he must workout, he needs it."

"He did looked ripped, well more so than he already was. I was waiting for his shirt to rip just from him lifting his plate or something."

Brittany giggled again. "Whenever he starts showing interest in dating again, he is going to have girls falling over him."

"Mm-hmm. The girl that gets him is going to be one lucky girl, because he is the whole package."

"And to think, you'll always be the one that got away." Brittany said with an amused chuckle.

Santana looked at Brittany over her shoulder and then went up to her, kissing her softly. "That's because, while he is the whole package for someone else, I found the perfect girl for me that is the whole package as well."

Brittany smiled shyly and kissed Santana again. "I love you.

"I love you too."

Santana kissed Nico on his forehead and went back to what she was doing.

When Nico was finished eating, Brittany adjusted her top and burped him before they went into the living room to give him to Maribel, so she could cuddle with him before they changed his diaper and put him to bed.

"So, I was thinking about moving the bassinette into my room tonight and letting him sleep in there with me." Maribel said as she took the baby into her arms.

Her room was at the other end of the hall from Santana and Brittany's room, but Nico's room was right next door to theirs, and even without the monitor, they would still be able to hear when he cried, and she wanted them to have a couple of uninterrupted nights of sleep.

"Sure." Brittany said. "If you're sure you really want to get up with him."

"I'm sure. You two need to catch up on your sleep, and I'm off work, so there is no reason I can't do it."

"Alright, sounds good to us, but just wake us if you need anything." Santana said.

"I will, but I don't think I'll need to."

When they put Nico to bed, Maribel decided that she was going to take a bath and go to bed as well.

Santana and Brittany went about their nighttime routine of washing their faces and brushing their teeth before they went to bed as well. Brittany wrapped her arm around Santana's waist and held her from behind, but sleep didn't come easy for her. Thanks to the sound nap she had gotten earlier in the day, she wasn't as tired as she normally was when she got into bed.

As the minutes ticked by, Brittany's mind wandered. She slipped her hand under Santana's shirt and rubbed her thumb across her abdomen, along the hemline of her shorts. A moment later, she nuzzled the part of Santana's shoulder that was bare to her with her nose, and started a slow line of kisses along her shoulder to the back of her neck, letting her lips linger on Santana's soft skin.

Santana, who had not been asleep, felt a tingle spread across her body as Brittany kissed her, and she tilted her head, so Brittany could kiss more of her neck. She missed being kissed like that. They hadn't done anything remotely sexual since before Nico was born, because Brittany was so uncomfortable the last few weeks of her pregnancy and her body needed time to heal after the birth. Not to mention that they were so exhausted from tending to the baby, that making out and sex had been the furthest thing from their minds.

When Brittany ran her hand up Santana's abdomen and cupped her right breast, it caused Santana to moan. "Ungf, yes. That feels so good."

Brittany smirked before she rolled Santana over onto her other side so she was facing her, and kissed her. Santana immediately deepened the kiss that lingered until Brittany startled her by rolling on top of her and causing her to break out of the kiss.

"What?" Brittany breathed out, confused as to why they weren't kissing any more.

"Um…nothing, it's just, we're never been like this before." Santana said, wrapping her arms around Britany and holding her tight to her. "I like it."

It only took Brittany a second to realize why it would be such a shock to Santana. In their whole sexual relationship, she had always been pregnant, and they had to be careful about what they did. They couldn't put too much pressure on Brittany's stomach, so they literally had never had one of them on top of the other. Now that she was thinking about it, Brittany was actually surprised about it as well.

"I like this too." She said nuzzling her nose with Santana's. "But you know what would make it better?"

"If we were naked?"

"Mm-hmm." Brittany said. "I don't like your clothes right now." She just wanted to feel all of Santana's body against her for the first time and slid her hand down Santana's side to the top of her shorts.

Santana couldn't help the whimper that escaped, because she wanted to feel Brittany against her too, but she put her hand on top of Brittany's to stop it. "Wait."

"Why?" Brittany whined. They had not had sex since January, it was April, and she really wanted to be with Santana again. "Don't you want to be with me?"

"Yes, god yes. It's just…are you sure you're okay…down there. I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

"You were with me when Dr. Kay released me for all normal activities, I'm pretty sure that involves sex."

"I know that, but I just wanted to make sure."

Brittany smiled lovingly. She appreciated Santana's concern. "I feel fine. Nothing hurts down there anymore." She said and kissed Santana softly. "Now, can I please take your clothes off and make love to you. I missed being with you so much." She kissed Santana neck on her pulse point, sucking it just a bit, knowing that was one Santana's weak spots.

Santana tilted her neck and let go of Brittany's hand. "I missed you too."

"Can I turn on the light?" Brittany asked. She wanted to see Santana, because even though they had been together so many times before, this was different. The way they were going to be with each other was going to be completely different from before. It was almost as if it was their first time again.

"Yes." Santana breathed. She wanted to see Brittany too.

Brittany flipped the blanket away from them and reached over to turn on the lamp. She sat up looking down at Santana. She was straddling her, but she moved off her and kneeled beside her as she helped Santana to sit up onto her knees as well. "Come here, honey." She cooed.

Santana reached for the hem of Brittany's shirt and pulled it up to reveal her bare breasts. She sighed as she looked at them, because they were so amazing to look at, but she knew she still couldn't touch them as she wanted. During Brittany's pregnancy, they were too sensitive for her to do more than place soft kisses on them while avoiding the nipples, and now, they were full of milk and meant to feed their baby. They were not for her to play with, unfortunately.

Brittany watched Santana trace her breasts with her eyes and she knew what was going through her mind. She loved being able to touch and kiss Santana's breasts so much that she knew that Santana was disappointed that she had never been able to do the same.

"One day, I promise." Brittany said. She intended to breast feed Nico until he started on solid food, and then ween him off before they started college in September. It was only a few more months and then as far as she was concerned, Santana could play with them as much as she wanted.

"I know. It's just that they are so beautiful." Santana said reaching out and running her hands up her sides, but stopping just under the breasts. She lightly grazed the undersides of both breasts with her thumbs before she leaned in and kissed Brittany.

When they parted from the kiss, Brittany took off Santana's shirt and then they took off their own shorts and panties before wrapping their arms around each other and kissing again. The kiss was slow and sweet, but it didn't take long for Brittany to lower Santana to the bed. As she settled on top of her, she pressed her thigh between her legs. Santana arched her back as she felt it brush against her sensitive center.

They kissed heatedly as their bodies were finally allowed to writhe against each other with no inhibitions.

When they needed air, Brittany released Santana's lips and mumbled; "God, I love you so much," as she kissed down her chin and neck to her chest.

She tried to make a good attempt at foreplay, and placed lingering kisses over Santana's breasts, but that fell apart quickly. Three months of not touching or kissing them was too much, and now that they were literally staring her in the face, she just had to go for it. She took her left nipple into her mouth, sucking hard, and kneaded the right one with her hand.

"Fuck!" Santana moaned as she buried her hands into Brittany's blond locks to keep her there.

She loved it when Brittany played with her breasts. She moaned and bucked her hips into Brittany as she cherished her breasts. When she switched sides a few minutes later, Santana's breathing became short and erratic as she took her right nipple into her mouth and lightly raked her teeth over the pert nub.

Brittany smirked to herself, and the more Santana moaned and pushed her hips into her, the more she wanted to make her come, so she didn't let up.

When Santana let go of her hair and gripped the sheets, Brittany knew she was close.

"Ugh, I can't hold it much longer." Santana cried and Brittany sucked harder and added more pressure with her hand until Santana came undone. Her whole body shook and she actually saw stars as Brittany continued to play with her breasts until she fell to the bed.

"Fuck me…" Santana breathed out in awe and put a hand on her forehead. She needed a moment to process what had just happened. She couldn't ever remember having such an intense orgasm from Brittany just playing with her breasts.

Brittany scooted up so her whole body was on top of Santana again, and propped herself up with her arm, ghosting her lips over hers. "I intend to." She kissed her and slowly slid her hand between their bodies, cupping her wet and aching center.

Santana whimpered and broke out of the kiss. She pressed her hips into her hand. "Britt, don't tease me today." She pleaded wrapping her hands around her waist. "If I have to wait any longer, I'm going to explode."

She couldn't handle it anymore. Three months was too long, and she needed to feel Brittany inside her again.

Brittany just nodded. She felt the same way, it had been too long, so she kissed her again as she ran her fingers through her slick folds, and then slid two fingers inside her. She slowly pushed back and forth, giving her a moment to get used to them, before she picked up the pace.

"Y-yes…that's it..." Santana breathed out into Brittany's ear. She moaned every time Brittany curled her fingers and the heel of her hand bumped into her pulsating clit. As Brittany added a third finger, Santana arched her back, their breasts pressing into each other, and her hips keeping time with Brittany's hand. "Mooooore." She drawled and Brittany pumped in and out of her until she couldn't move any quicker.

When Brittany felt the walls of Santana's core tighten around her fingers, she somehow found the strength to push just a little bit faster, and as she curled her fingers a fifth time, she smiled proudly as she watched Santana fall apart again and cry out into the room. It was so loud and unabashed that Brittany was afraid that Maribel might hear it from her room, so she kissed her to muffle it just a bit.

As Santana started to come down from her high, Brittany broke out of the kiss and slowed her hand, stopping only when Santana's fell limp against the bed. When Brittany pulled her fingers out of her, she twitched. She buried her face into Santana neck, pressing all of her weight onto her, and wiped her sticky hand on her own hip before she wrapped her hand behind Santana's neck and just held her.

Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany, holding her tightly as she tried to calm down her breathing. As the next few minutes passed, they reveled in how it felt to be able to lay as they were; completely tangled up in each other.

When Santana recovered, she was eager to return the favor and she rolled them over so she was on top of Brittany. She propped herself up with one hand and nuzzled her nose with Brittany's. "Hi." She said with a coy smile.

Brittany chuckled. "Hey."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Santana smiled and leaned in kissing Brittany. The kiss started soft and sweet, but after a few moments, Santana deepened it as she slowly rolled her hips into Brittany's. Brittany felt a jolt of electricity in her already aching core and she shifted just enough so Santana's thigh was between her leg. She ground into to it, looking for some much needed friction. It was then that their kiss morphed into a wet, slightly sloppy embrace, where neither of them felt like holding back.

Brittany dug her fingers into Santana's back as she started to kiss down her jaw to her ear. She took the lobe between her teeth, and nipped it, before sucking on the lobe and then licking down the length of her neck with the tip of her tongue. Brittany moaned and squirmed as Santana's wet tongue trailed over her collarbone, and between the valley of her breasts, before coming to a stop just below the mounds.

Santana stared longingly at Brittany's enticing breasts for a moment, lamenting once again that she wasn't allowed to play with them. She thought about placing a few soft kisses on them as she had done before, but decided against it. Things were different now that they were full of milk for Nico, and she wasn't sure if it would make things weird for Brittany, so instead, she kissed a freckle below her right breast and sucked on it slightly before she moved to another freckle.

She kissed down her abdomen, kissing freckles and stretch marks that she knew Brittany hated, but she loved, until she reached the top of her center. Normally she would try to take her time, drawing things out a bit, but like Brittany, three months of not touching her like this was too much, and she had no patience for foreplay. She didn't waste any time in pushing her legs further apart and laying down on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows, her knees bent and her feet hanging in the air behind her. Santana spread Brittany's folds and circled her clit with her tongue a few times before she took the sensitive nub into her mouth and sucked hard. Brittany moaned; bucking her hips as Santana flicked her clit with her tongue.

Santana sucked, varying the pressure for almost a minute, before she released the nub so she could run her fingers through her folds, coating them with Brittany's wetness and slowly pushed two fingers inside her.

Brittany was so pent up in anticipation that she cried out, something between a moan and a whimper as she felt Santana enter her, but instead of moving her fingers, she heard Santana ask, "Is this okay?"

Santana knew she was being over cautious, but she couldn't help herself. This was their first time since the birth, and as eager as she was to be with Brittany, she didn't want to hurt her, even in the slightest, so she had to confirm that it was okay before she continued. "Does anything hurt?"

" _No!"_ Brittany breathed out, shaking her head, and pushing her hips into Santana's hand. In her current state of arousal, she couldn't find it in herself to be appreciative of the concern, especially since she had already said that she was fine down there. She put one of her hands on top of Santana's, forcing it to move back and forth. _"For fucks sake, keep going!"_

Santana was almost surprised by the language, but she knew that Brittany tended to curse when they were in bed, which was always a major turn on and motivator for her, so she did what she was told to do, and kept going. She leaned down and took her clit into her mouth, grazing it with her teeth before she started sucking on it again. She pushed her fingers in and out of her, curling them at just the right time, and gradually increasing her speed until she was moving her hand as fast as she could.

" _Fuck…yes!"_ Brittany breathed, automatically pressing her hips into her, and burying her hands into Santana's hair, gripping the brunette locks tightly.

She quickly concluded that she was _definitely_ more sensitive down there after the birth. She felt the throbbing in her core more intensely than before, and the tingling spread throughout her whole body, making it feel as if she was on fire. She moaned deeply as Santana's fingers and mouth worked her higher and higher until she reached her peak and she tumbled over the edge.

As she started to come down, Santana was determined to make her come again, so she pulled her fingers out of Brittany, and flattened her tongue against her center, making several broad strokes before pressing her tongue inside. She pushed her tongue in and out of Brittany for a little over a minute before she felt the familiar feeling of the walls constrict around her tongue. Within seconds, Brittany was crying out into the room as she came a second time.

Santana resumed her long, broad strokes against Brittany's center, until she loosened her grip on her hair and dropped to the bed, her body still rolling though the quakes of her orgasm.

Santana placed a few kisses up her abdomen, skipping her chest, and then kissing the hollow of her neck, and her chin, before she placed a soft kiss to her lips. Brittany was out of breath, but she still returned the sweet kiss. When they parted, Santana buried her nose into the crook of Brittany's neck, laying on top of her as Brittany had laid on her after her own orgasm.

Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana to hold her against her. They didn't say anything for a while, even after their breathing calmed down. They just wanted to be as close to each other as they could be.

Eventually, though, the calmness of the room was interrupted when Santana exhaled deeply, almost as if she was sighing.

"What?" Brittany asked shifting a bit so she could see Santana's face.

Santana smiled shyly and shook her head. "Nothing, I was just thinking."

"Tell me." Brittany cooed and kissed her softly on her lips.

"It's just…that was _really_ good. I should probably be embarrassed at how quickly you made me come, but I can't even be upset by it."

Brittany giggled. "I came quickly too, but you shouldn't be upset, it was perfect. So perfect." She whispered and kissed Santana again, deepening it just a bit. They both let the kiss linger between them.

Santana felt as if she was in a daze when they parted. She buried her nose in the crook of her neck again. She inhaled, taking in Brittany's sweet, almost intoxicating scent. "It was perfect. I loved what we used to do before, _but this is so much better_. I love that we can stay closer to each other." She said thinking back to the times that they had to improvise in consideration of Brittany's belly and one of them had to get out of bed and kneel on the floor, or stand up so they could be with each other.

"I love this too." Brittany said and tightened her hold around Santana. "I could lay here all night with you tucked into me, just like this."

"Me too." Santana cooed and she would have done it too, except, now that they had a child, he was never far from her mind, and since there was chance that her mother could come into the room to get them to help with Nico, she didn't think sleeping naked would be a good idea. "I want to lay on top of you all night, but maybe we should put some clothes on first, just in case."

Brittany nodded and tilted her head to kiss Santana on her forehead before she trailed her fingers up and down her spine. "You're right; we should put clothes on, but not yet. I want just a few more minutes with you like this."

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you have time, please send me your thoughts.

Thanks to my beta **naynay1963** for all her help!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Brittany stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room, buttoned her shirt, and then tucked it into her black dress pants. Her stomach was churning and she felt queasy. As she looked over her appearance, Santana came into the room and leaned against the doorframe.

"You look beautiful." She said with a warm smile.

"Are you sure?" Brittany said in a nervous tone.

Santana pushed herself off the doorframe and walked up to Brittany. She wrapped her arms around her waist and gave her a soft kiss. "Yes. I'm 1000% sure."

Brittany sighed. "I'm so nervous."

"You'll be fine, honey."

"I don't want to mess up. You can't really make up for it, you know?"

Brittany started her photography internship the week after spring break. She had been working in the shop for the past three and a half weeks, and she was assisting for her first wedding.

"Britt." Santana cooed and leaned in to kiss Brittany again. "It's okay to be nervous, but I don't think that you are going to mess up anything. You take amazing pictures, and they've only gotten better since you started training with Trisha. She has confidence in your abilities and I do too."

Brittany nodded. She needed to hear that. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Santana said and released Brittany from her hold.

"So what are you and Nico going to do while I'm gone?"

"I thought I would take him for a walk around the neighborhood after his nap and then if he's up for it, I might meet up with Mercedes and Kurt at the Lima Bean for a while. They texted me a little while ago to see if we wanted to come."

"That sounds like fun." Brittany said. "Make sure you take a few pictures to show me when I get home."

"I will."

"Well I better get going." Brittany said and picked up the bag that had the camera that Trisha had been letting her borrow. She carefully slipped her arm through the strap to secure it on her shoulder. "If I get a free moment, I'll call or text you."

"Okay. I'll walk you out to your car." Santana said and leaned into kiss Brittany. "I know you're going to do great, but good luck."

"Thanks, San."

Before they went downstairs, Brittany tiptoed into Nico's room and gave him a quick kiss on his head. She couldn't leave without saying goodbye to him.

As they went downstairs and out to the driveway, Brittany's mind was running through the list of things she had to do when she got to the studio.

"You know, you're really cute when you get lost in your head. I love the little bite you do with your lip." Santana said smiling.

Brittany just chuckled.

Santana winked and leaned in, kissing Brittany softly on her lips.

When they parted, Brittany sighed contently. "This feels so domestic, you giving me a kiss before I go off to work while you stay home and watch our child. I like it."

"I like it too." Santana cooed. She loved the feeling of family she got when she was with Brittany and Nico. It warmed her heart.

"I better go; I don't want to be late." Brittany said opening her car door and leaning inside to put her stuff in the passenger seat.

"There's no chance of that. You're already almost an hour early."

Brittany knew Santana was teasing her and she playfully stuck her tongue out at her. "If you're not early, you're late."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I like to make an entrance."

Brittany snorted. "You sure do. Okay, I'll talk to you sometime. Love you." She said and pecked Santana's lips one more time before she hopped in the car.

Santana waved at her as she backed out of the driveway and when she was out of sight, she went back into the house. She had about half an hour before she had to get Nico up, so she figured she'd get a jump-start on their never-ending pile of laundry. Even after almost thirteen weeks, she was still surprised by how much laundry one baby could produce.

-()-()-()-()-

As Santana stepped into the Lima Bean with Nico nestled in his car seat carrier, she looked around the room for Kurt and Mercedes, but unsurprisingly, she heard them before she saw them. Kurt had let out an excited shriek and she turned to the source of the noise to find Kurt clapping his hands and jumping up from his seat to give Mercedes a bouncy hug.

She weaved her way through the café and set Nico down in one of the open chairs at the table. Kurt and Mercedes were still hugging.

"Hummel calm down, you're making a huge scene, and that is saying something coming from you." Santana said with a smug smile.

Kurt and Mercedes broke apart, and Kurt playfully rolled his eyes at Santana as she sat down in the seat next to Nico.

"For your information, I was not making a scene on purpose; I was just so happy and proud of my girl that I couldn't keep it contained."

"And what are we excited about?" Santana asked looking to Mercedes who had a big smile on her face and a piece of paper in her hand.

She slid the paper to Santana so she could read it.

"I got into UCLA!" She cheered. "I thought I was going to be wait listed or rejected because it was taking so long to hear back, but my letter came in the mail this morning! I'm going to L.A.!"

"That's awesome!" Santana chirped and leaned in giving her a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks girl. I'm excited, but I'm super nervous."

"Don't be." Kurt said with a wave of his hand. "As soon as they hear you sing; you're going to have a recording contract in no time."

"Kurt's right. You're going to kill it out there." Santana said.

"Hopefully, but let's not jinx it or anything." Mercedes beamed.

"I'm not, it's going to happen." Kurt said confidently. "I'm going to start auditioning as soon as I can. I figured my second semester at NYADA would be a good time to start. I'd be used to going to school, I'll have some friends, and hopefully by then I've learned a bit about the ins and outs of the Broadway scene. I can tailor my class schedule to accommodate show times…and I don't care what it takes, I _will_ be in a Broadway production before Rachel, even if I'm only paying 'Man in the Crowd #2'."

Santana chuckled. "You know, I'm actually sad I'm not going to be there to see you two not only share an apartment, but try to out audition each other. I'm sure that would provide hours of entertainment for me."

"Well, you guys are more than welcome to come visit us." Kurt said. "Give me a few weeks to explore the city first, that way I know where things are."

"And you guys can always come visit me. We can take Hollywood by storm!" Mercedes added.

"Oh, I intend to. I can't wait for my first Hollywood celebrity sighting." Kurt said.

"I'm not sure when Britt and Nico and I will be able to get to L.A. or New York, but maybe one day." Santana said trying to think about how they would even begin to cover the cost of a trip like that. They'd probably have to save for a long time.

"Well you are welcome anytime, especially my little nephew!" Mercedes said looking down at Nico. "You wanna come to me?" She cooed and he smiled at her. "I thought so. Come here." She said and unhooked the straps of his car seat so she could take him into her arms.

"Let's get some lattes!" Kurt said standing up. "My treat this week! The usual for everyone?"

"Yep." Santana and Mercedes said at the same time.

Mercedes and Santana played with Nico while Kurt was at the counter and then when he came back with their drinks, the conversation quickly flowed back to college. It didn't take Santana long to realize that Mercedes and Kurt dominated the conversation. She found herself mostly just listening to them talk. Every once in a while, she would interject something, but for the most part, she couldn't relate to their excitement. For one thing, she was only going to Lima Community College, so there was no change of location to a cool city, and second, they both knew what program they wanted to be in, whereas she had not declared a major. She was still unsure of what she wanted to do.

By the time she and Nico left the Lima Bean, Santana was in a funk. She got into the car and within seconds, she turned off the radio, because the noise of it was grating on her nerves. Then when she got home, she fed Nico and gave him his bath, but she was lost in thought the whole time about the future. When her mother got home from work, she saw it as a welcomed distraction, but that went away after she put Nico to bed, and her mother went to bed early too, because she was exhausted from the busy day she had had in the emergency room.

She went into the living room to watch T.V., hoping that that would distract her, but even that was not enough to calm her mind. By the time that Brittany texted her, to say that she would be home in ten minutes, Santana found herself mentally exhausted.

"Hey honey." Brittany said coming into the house, locking the front door behind her, and sat beside Santana on the couch.

"Hey, how was it?" Santana asked.

"Amazing! I think we got some great pictures. I can't wait to get into the studio next week to start editing them."

"That's great." Santana said with a small smile.

"I think I'm really going to like shooting weddings. Everyone just seems so happy and the party afterward is fun."

"I should hope so." Santana said. "I'm glad you had fun."

Brittany giggled and leaned in, giving Santana a soft kiss on the lips. "How was your day?"

"Good." Santana said, but the sincerity of what she said didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Yeah?" Brittany asked, not quite believing her. "How was Nico? Was he fussy?"

Santana shook her head. "Not really. He was excited to see Mercedes and Kurt. They spoiled him rotten, as usual."

"Oh yeah, how was the Lima Bean?"

"Loud. Mercedes found out this morning that she got accepted to UCLA, so when she told us, Kurt took it to Level 11."

Brittany chuckled. "I don't even have to be there to picture what that looked or sounded like."

"It was a spectacle, that's for sure."

"He's just excited. I'm sure Mercedes was over the moon."

"Oh yeah. They're already planning trips to see each other in New York and L.A. so they can 'take the cities by storm'."

"If anyone is going to do it, it's those two."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Santana said with a slight sigh.

Brittany heard the sigh and leaned in again, kissing Santana on her temple. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." Santana said, forcing a smile on her face.

Brittany looked at her watch and saw that it was after eleven o'clock. "Then we should go to bed." She said, kissing her temple one more time before she reached for the remote, and turned the T.V. off. She stood up and offered Santana her hand.

Santana took her hand and they walked to the stairs together. "After you, my love." Brittany said letting go of her hand, and playfully patting Santana on her butt.

Santana couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. "Thanks."

As they went through their nighttime routine, Santana was quieter and more subdued than usual. Brittany noticed, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was tired or if there was something going on with Santana. When they crawled into bed, Brittany opened her arms, inviting Santana to curl into her and lay on her chest, which she did.

"I love you." Brittany whispered.

"I love you too, Britt."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Brittany asked. "You just seem down."

"I'm fine. Just tired." Santana said quickly. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Okay." Brittany sighed and kissed Santana on the top of her head.

Within minutes though, Santana rolled away from Brittany, and laid on her side with her back to her.

Brittany turned her head and watched the outline of Santana's body move up and down as she breathed. She knew that something was going on with Santana. She was acting weird, but for some reason she didn't want to tell her what it was. She wondered if she had done something to upset her, but she couldn't think of anything, so she changed her train of thought and wondered what happened while she was away that put Santana in such a strange mood. For the next thirty minutes, Brittany watched Santana's outline until she heard her breathing even out. Once she was asleep, Brittany rolled on to her side and scooted closer to Santana, but she didn't touch her because she wasn't sure if she wanted to be touched.

-()-()-()-()-

When Nico's cries woke them up early the next morning, Brittany told Santana to stay in bed, and she went to nurse Nico. After he was fed and changed, she brought him into the room, and put him into the bed with them, hoping that he would go back to sleep.

Santana immediately put her arm around him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for getting him this morning." Santana mumbled and she took Brittany's hand, linking their fingers.

"No problem." Brittany said with a smile, happy that Santana was the one to initiate the physical contact.

Thankfully, with a full belly and both his mommies close by, Nico easily went back to sleep, so Brittany and Santana went back to sleep as well.

When they woke up a few hours later, Maribel had already left for work, so Santana went to make breakfast for them. Brittany sat at the table nursing Nico as she watched Santana cook, and again, she was still too quiet and too inside herself. Brittany tried to make conversation while they ate, but mostly, Santana just nodded or gave short answers.

It went on like that all morning and into the afternoon. Brittany asked Santana a few times if she was okay, but she waved it off and insisted that her quietness was because she was tired. Brittany didn't believe her, but she let it go, because she wanted to give Santana time to open up to her on her own. It wasn't until Brittany was caught off guard by an outburst that Brittany decided that she couldn't let it go.

She had been in the kitchen, getting a snack, when she heard Santana let out a frustrated growl and a string of explicit curse words. Brittany rushed into the laundry room to see what had happened, thinking that Santana hurt herself, but that wasn't the case. Santana's outburst came after she realized that she had forgotten to switch a load of laundry from the night before. It wasn't the first time that one of them forgot to do it when they were doing laundry late at night. Normally when that would happen, Santana would just rewash the clothes and go on about her business, she never reacted as harshly as she just did. Brittany almost asked her why she was so upset right then, but she decided to wait until they put Nico down for his afternoon nap. That way he would not interrupt their conversation. She knew that if she didn't actively try to get Santana to talk about it, they could find themselves in a situation like they did the previous summer, where they went weeks upset about something they could have easily solved if they had just talked to each other.

An hour later, as they were coming out of Nico's room after laying him down, Brittany stopped Santana from going downstairs by taking her by the hand and leading her into their room. They sat on the end of the bed, and Brittany took both of Santana's hands into her own.

"Honey, talk to me. What is going on?"

"Nothing." Santana said slowly and raised one of her eyebrows, pretending that she didn't know what Brittany was talking about.

Brittany just shook head, refusing to accept that answer. "Honey, I can tell something is bothering you."

"It's nothing."

"Yes it is. You can be short tempered at times, but I've never seen you blow up over a load of laundry."

"It's nothing, Britt, don't worry about it." Santana said a little too defensively, moving both of her hands away from Brittany's and looking at the floor.

Brittany sighed and kneeled down on the floor, positioning herself so Santana could see her. She rested her hands on Santana's knees and she looked at her eyes until Santana finally made eye contact with her.

"San, please don't do this. I hate it when you try to shut me out. I know you are upset about something and I don't like it when you're upset. If it's something I did, please tell me so I can make it better. We can't just pretend that nothing is the matter, that didn't work for us before. All it did is cause problems between us for several weeks, and we can't do that again with Nico here."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Santana mumbled.

"Okay, then did something happen while I was at work?"

Santana sighed, giving in. "Not really…it's stupid."

"I'm sure it isn't."

Santana sighed again. "I'm just frustrated. Listening to Kurt and Mercedes gush about what they're going to do in college yesterday got into my head."

Brittany's heart clenched tightly hearing that. Her eyebrows scrunched together in concern and she swallowed hard. She took Santana's hands into her own again. She didn't say anything; she looked at their hands and rubbed her thumbs over her knuckles for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts. She felt as if she was staring down the barrel of one of her worst fears.

When she finally looked up at Santana, she was fighting tears forming in her eyes. "I get it. I do…you always wanted to go to school in New York or L.A. Kurt and Mercedes are doing what you always dreamed of doing, and because of me, you're stuck in Lima."

Santana's breath hitched in her chest when she realized what Brittany was thinking, but before she could say anything, Brittany continued.

"I'm keeping you from your dreams and I-"

"Stop it!" Santana said quickly and she tightened her grip on Brittany's hands. "You aren't."

A tear escaped and rolled down Brittany's cheek, and she nodded. "I am. If it wasn't for me and Nico, you would be on your way out of Lima."

Santana slid down onto the floor with Brittany where she brought her hands up to her lips, kissing her knuckles. "Brittany, I love you and I love our son. I told you before that being with you and Nico are my new dream, and I'm not upset that we're going to school here."

"But you just said-"

Santana shook her head. "Britt, you got it wrong, I'm not upset that they're going away to college and I'm not. I'm upset because listening to them made me realize something. Well, it's something that's been in the back of my mind for a while, but after yesterday, it just seemed to slap me in the face and I can't shake it. Kurt and Mercedes know what they want to do with their lives. They have majors selected and plans for how they're going get what they want in life. Even you have a plan. You're going to major in photography, minor in business, and one day open your own studio. I don't have that. I have no fucking clue as to what I want to do. I just feel… lost."

The sad look on Santana's face nearly broke Brittany. "Oh honey…" Brittany sighed and wrapped her arms around Santana, pulling her in for a tight, comforting hug. "You don't have to have it all figured out right now. You have time."

"I know, but I want to have it figured out now." Santana mumbled into Brittany's neck.

Logically, Santana knew she had time. She could take core education classes for the first two years before she had to select a major, but she didn't like the idea, or feel comfortable with that. She wanted to have direction. She needed a clear goal to strive for, because if she didn't, she felt as if she would flounder, and she couldn't afford to do that, not with a child that she had to help provide for. She didn't want to live off her mother's money and generosity longer than she had to.

"It's okay." Brittany whispered and held Santana tighter.

They didn't say anything for the next few minutes; they just held each other. When kneeling on the floor became too uncomfortable, Brittany stood up, leading Santana to follow her.

"Come cuddle with me." Brittany said slipping into bed and under the covers.

"But we have a ton of stuff to do." Santana said. It was Sunday and they both used the weekend to either catch up from the previous week, or if they were lucky, to try to get ahead.

"It can wait." Brittany said. "Come here."

Santana didn't need to be asked again. She just crawled into bed and curled into Brittany, resting her head on her chest.

It didn't take long for both of them to unintentionally fall asleep, and when they woke up, it was from the sound of Nico's crying through the monitor.

Santana turned to look at the alarm clock and she was surprised to see how late it was. Nico had slept longer than they intended. They had only planned to let him sleep for an hour, maybe an hour and a half, but they all had sleep for almost three hours and it was after six-thirty.

"Shit, he's going to be up all night now." Santana said flipping the blanket back.

"I'll nurse and change him." Brittany said rubbing her eyes. "Why don't you go start dinner? Your mom is going to be home soon."

"Yeah, sounds good." Santana said leaning over to give her a quick kiss.

"When I come down, maybe we can talk about what we were talking about before we took a nap?" Brittany asked tentatively.

Santana sighed, but nodded. "Yeah."

"Love you." Brittany said kissing her one more time before she got out of bed and went into Nico's room.

Santana went to the kitchen to start dinner. She was just finishing when Brittany came downstairs with Nico.

"There you are." Santana said. "I was starting to wonder what was taking so long. Is he feeling okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He had a really messy diaper, so I just decided to bathe him early and put him in his jammies. I'm hoping that if he's ready for bed, he may think it's time to go to sleep at bedtime instead of partying all night."

"Let's hope." Santana said. She was hoping their mistake of letting him sleep too long wouldn't make for a bad night.

"Where's your mom?" Brittany asked. She expected her to be home already, but just then, Maribel walked in the door.

"Hey!" She called.

"Hey, in the kitchen." Santana called back.

A moment later, Maribel walked in the room. "It smells good in here." She said. "And there's my grandson!" She cheered and Nico smiled widely when he saw her.

"You wanna see Abuela?" Brittany asked Nico and handed him over to her.

"Hey little man! I missed you all day!" Maribel cooed, giving him kisses all over his face.

Nico giggled from all the animated kisses.

"Dinner is ready." Santana said stirring a spoon in a pot of black beans.

"Sorry, I was late; you can't even imagine the crazy day I've had." Maribel said, but the tone and the look on her face didn't match what she had said. She had implied that she had had a stressful day, but since she was interacting with Nico, her expressions didn't show it.

"Do you want to shower now or after dinner? We can wait to eat if you want to do it now." Brittany said. She was used to Maribel showering and changing her work clothes before she ate.

Maribel shook her head. "I showered before I left work. Let's just say, I couldn't wait until I got home to wash my work day away."

Santana scrunched her face. "Ugh, gross."

"Some days are gross, but we saved two people today, so I didn't mind getting a little dirty." Maribel said with a proud smile.

Santana nodded, agreeing with that logic.

Brittany fixed her plate, while Santana did hers and her mother's since she was holding the baby.

As they were sitting down, Brittany turned to Maribel and said, "So you guys saved two people today, that's pretty cool. How did you know you wanted to be a nurse? Was it something you always wanted to do?" She glanced to Santana, who flitted her eyes at her and instantly knew what Brittany was doing. She was low-key starting the conversation that she wanted to have about Santana's apprehension for her lack of direction without directly bringing it up to Maribel.

"No, actually. I didn't know what I was going to do at first." Maribel said kissing Nico on the top of his head.

Santana perked up when she heard that. So did Brittany. She wasn't expecting Maribel to say that, but she couldn't be happier that she did, because she knew that whatever Maribel was about to say would help Santana more than anything she could try to say to make her feel better.

"You didn't?" Santana said scrunching her eyes in confusion. She always just assumed that her mother grew up wanting to be a nurse. Brittany gave her an encouraging smile.

"I knew I wanted to help people, but I wasn't sure how I was going to do that. I thought about being a police officer, but after a few visits to a shooting range, I found out I wasn't a very good shot, so I decided that that probably wasn't for me."

"You wanted to be a cop?" Santana said dumbfounded. She could never see her mother as a police officer. Not in a million years.

"A cop and a nurse are really different, how did you get there?" Brittany asked.

"I was in the student center one day, eating lunch between classes and there was a girl that tripped just as she was passing me. She hit her head hard on my table. She was knocked unconscious and she had a gash on her head. I immediately jumped up to help her because I knew what to do from a first aide class that I took for babysitting when I was teenager. I stabilized her head and put pressure on her cut to slow the bleeding until the campus paramedics arrived. They complimented me for my quick action, but I didn't think much about it, until a few days later the girl came to my dorm room and thanked me profusely for helping her that day. It was then that it dawned on me that that was something that I could do to help people. I looked into becoming a doctor, but I really couldn't afford medical school, so I went into the nursing program instead."

"Wow, that's a really cool story!" Brittany chirped. "So you changed majors, just like that?"

"Actually, I was undeclared, but I was halfway through my second semester of college, so I had to wait until the next semester to declare Nursing. Thankfully, the general education classes I had taken could be credited to my new major, so I didn't lose any time. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I found a profession that I ended up loving, and I met Nick not long after that."

"I didn't know that." Santana said. "Weren't you worried about starting school without an area of study already in mind?"

"Mm-hmm." Maribel said. "I think most people would feel that worry, but I didn't want to pick a major just for the sake of picking something. I didn't want to waste my time and money. I didn't have a lot of money to spare, so I needed to make certain that I was sure of what I wanted to do before I started taking classes that I wasn't 100% interested in taking."

Santana couldn't believe how similar she and her mother were in this area. She always saw her mother as someone who knew what she was doing at all times. She was always so put together and had a plan for everything, so to see that she didn't always have it together was a bit of a relief.

Brittany reached under the table, took Santana's hand into her own, and gave it a little squeeze. Santana appreciated the encouragement that Brittany was trying to give her without making a big deal about it, so she gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand in return.

-()-()-()-()-

Around midnight, they finally got Nico to go to sleep. It was way past his bedtime, but they figured that he wouldn't go to bed on time. Thankfully, since he was so rested from his nap, he wasn't that fussy, and Maribel was more than content to cuddle with him for most of the night.

When Santana and Brittany went into their room after going through their nighttime routine, instead of laying down, Brittany propped up her pillow on the headboard and patted the space beside her. Santana followed suit and propped herself on her pillow as well.

"We haven't had a chance to talk, just the two of us since your mom came home, so I just wanted see how you're feeling."

Santana sighed. "I'm still really nervous about not having a plan. I'd feel so much better if I did, but after listening to my mom tonight, I'm not _as_ worried."

"That's good…do you wanna know my opinion?"

Santana chuckled. "Of course."

"I know you're worried about not having a major picked out yet, but I honestly think you're in a really good place, Santana. Now you have time to work on finding something that you're going to love. I'd hate for you to pick a career that you're going to hate, just because you think that you need to for Nico and me. That would just make you miserable, and that's not healthy for you, or our family. Your happiness is more important to us than any job."

Santana smiled and leaned in, giving Brittany a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, so, so much. I'd give anything to make sure that you were happy…including being apart for a little while. If you really want to go to school in New York or-"

"I don't." Santana said definitively. She didn't even want Brittany to finish that sentence, because she was not interested in discussing the possibility of them being apart like that.

Brittany breathed an internal sigh of relief. "I just wanted to make sure one more time."

"I appreciate that, Britt, but I'm perfectly fine staying here for school. It's what's best for our family, and that is important to me."

Brittany smiled shyly and took Santana's hand into hers. She idly played with her fingers for a few moments.

"I can't believe we're going to be graduating in a few weeks. Where did the past year go?" Santana finally said.

Britany chuckled. "I have no idea. It did go by quickly."

"But it's been the best year, even if it did have a few bumps along the way."

"Yeah, but I think life needs to have bumps every once in a while, because if everything was sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns, you wouldn't appreciate it as much. Does that make sense?"

Santana giggled. "Perfect sense." She leaned in and kissed Brittany again.

When they parted, Brittany kissed Santana's forehead. "If there is anything I can do to help you in finding your direction, please tell me."

"I will."

"And I was thinking… when we put Nico down for his nap tomorrow, and if you want to, we could look through all the programs that Lima Community has available and see which ones may interest you. Then we can try to find a way for you to test them out before you have to declare a major."

Santana smiled widely. "I think that's a great idea."

"It's a starting place. Maybe we can talk to your mom and Miss Pillsbury too. I know she drives you nuts with all her pamphlets, but I think she really does care and wants to help. You never know, she might have some good ideas too."

Santana just looked at Brittany trying to tackle her issues head on _with_ her and it made her heart swell in her chest. "Thank you for being so supportive and trying to keep me grounded. I know I can internalize my feelings sometimes, and I don't always deal with that in the best way. I'm sorry for making you feel like you had done something wrong."

"It's okay, and I think we can figure anything out, as long as we work together."

"Yeah... we're a team now."

"The best team." Brittany cooed and kissed Santana softly one more time. "Come on, tomorrow is another day, so let's get some sleep. I know a baby boy that is going to demand our attention in a few hours."

Santana chuckled. "Yeah, and he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"He certainly doesn't." Brittany chuckled as well as she reached over to turn off her bedside lamp. "He gets that from you by the way."

"Probably." Santana shrugged and curled into Brittany's side, resting her head on her chest.

"But, I wouldn't have it any other way." Brittany cooed and kissed Santana on top of her head. She loved that Nico reminded her of Santana sometimes.

"Me too." Santana yawned. "Night, Britt-Britt."

"Night, honey."

This time, Santana didn't pull away from Brittany after a few minutes. She nuzzled her cheek into her and held her tighter.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Hey guys, I really hope that you liked this update. Sorry it took a while, but I've just been so busy the last few weeks. As always, I love feedback, so if you have a moment, please let me know your thoughts.

Also, I wanted to give you a heads up that I'm going to be wrapping up this story soon. Right now, I'm thinking that there is going to be two more chapters, but I do have a habit of writing long at times, so if that happens, it might extend a chapter or two.

I'd like to thank my beta, **naynay1963** for all her great help in finding and fixing my silly errors. She's the best y'all!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Santana was sitting on the couch holding Nico. She was trying to keep him entertained by making funny faces and causing him to laugh, but in-between "peek-a-boos" she kept glancing at Brittany who was nervously tidying the already clean and tidy living room. She wanted to tell her to come sit with her and Nico, but she knew that as soon as Brittany sat down, she would be up again; fussing about something that she deemed even the slightest bit out of place, so she didn't say anything. She gave her the space to let her deal with her stress and nervousness her own way. Not that Santana blamed her for being nervous; she knew she would be the same if she were in Brittany's position.

Pierce was coming into town for their graduation. He was also going to meet Nico. It would be the first time that Brittany had seen her father since the previous summer when they went to court to set up her guardianship with Maribel. She had talked to him on the phone a few times, and they texted every once in a while, but their contact had been so limited the past year that Brittany had no idea how this visit was going to go.

When Brittany looked at her watch for the tenth time in the past five minutes, Santana set Nico in his swing and went up to her, wrapping her arms around her from behind. She felt Brittany stiffen, but she didn't dare let go of her.

"I love you." She whispered into her blond locks.

Brittany sighed. "I love you too...but that's not what I'm worried about."

"Honey, I know you're nervous, but it's going to be okay. Mom is meeting him at his hotel first and if he isn't sober, or in the right frame of mind, she isn't going to let him come over."

"I'm not really worried about that. I've seen him drunk more times in the past few years than sober. That's normal to me now. It's just that I haven't seen him in almost a year. He hasn't seen Nico…what if he's sober and still doesn't like me, or h-im?" She said as her voice cracked on the last word.

Santana slowly turned Brittany around in her arms. She had tears welling in her eyes. Santana kissed her softly and when they parted, she wiped her tears away. "I can't claim to know or even understand all that you went through with him, only what you've told me, and what I've seen since we've been together, but I don't think that your dad ever disliked you. I believe he loves you, he just couldn't show it the way that he should have because he was too wrapped up in his own unhappiness. It's not an excuse, or even a good reason, but he drowned his grief of losing your mom by drinking, and alcohol can make people say and do terrible things, even to those that we love the most."

Brittany looked down. "My head knows that, but my heart doesn't. I spent years thinking that he didn't like me and I was nothing but a burden to him. I want to believe you, but I don't know how to do that right now."

Santana sighed and kissed Brittany on her forehead. She knew there was nothing she could say that would make Brittany feel any better. She needed to see and hear it from Pierce. She tightened her hold on Brittany and nuzzled their noses together. "All you can do is to try to reestablish a relationship with him, and hope it goes right…but if it doesn't, please know that you have so many people that love you and like you for who you are. Nico and I love you more than you can even imagine, so does Mom, and that is never going to change."

Brittany sniffled, tears now streaming down her cheeks. Santana wiped her face and kissed her again.

"I'm here, okay?" Santana said.

Brittany nodded and tightened her hold on Santana as she buried her nose into her neck. She just wanted to be as close to Santana as she could. They held each other for a few minutes until Nico made a shrieking noise, demanding that they pay attention to him. When they turned to look at him, he gave them the biggest smile and Brittany's heart melted. She let go of Santana and went over to him, lifting him out of his swing, and cradling him in her arms.

She sat on the love seat and Santana joined her, putting her arm around her shoulders. They sat as a family, playing with Nico until Santana's phone chimed on the coffee table with a text message. She grabbed it, and read the message from her mother.

"Mom says that they're on their way. They should be here in ten minutes."

"I should go fix my makeup." Brittany said touching her face. She was sure she had tear tracks on her cheeks.

"It's not bad, but it could use a little touch up." Santana said with smile. "Do you want me to come up with you?"

Brittany shook her head. "No, you stay down here and play with Nico; I'll only be a few minutes."

"Okay." Santana said and leaned in, kissing Brittany's lips.

Santana had intended it to be a quick kiss, but as soon as their lips touched, Brittany deepened the kiss. She needed more than just a peck. They kissed for a few moments, and when they parted, Brittany rested her forehead on Santana's.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Santana didn't say anything, she just kissed her softly.

When they parted again, Brittany slipped Nico into Santana's arms and quickly left the room to touch up her makeup. She was just coming down the stairs when she heard two cars pull into the driveway. Her heart rate immediately increased and she felt nauseous. Santana came into the foyer with Nico and gave him to her. She knew he always had a calming effect on her. She put her hand on Brittany's lower back and kissed her on the cheek, silently telling her, _"I've got you."_

Brittany let out a slow and deep breath as she saw movement through the sheer curtain that was on the window to the door. She was steadying herself. She hoped she didn't cry the second she saw her father.

Maribel opened the door, and she was a little startled to see them standing at the base of the stairs, but then again, she wasn't surprised to see Brittany there to greet them the moment they arrived. She knew how anxious Brittany was about this visit. She flashed her a warm smile and nodded her head to say that everything would be okay.

Brittany tried to mirror her smile, but with her nervousness, it came across more pained than warm.

When Maribel stepped into the house, she held the door open a little wider. Pierce slowly walked up and stopped in the doorway.

"Britty…" He said, his voice cracking, and immediately tears welled in his eyes. "I've missed you so much."

Hearing her father call her by the nickname that he used when she was a child, when her mother was still alive, caused Brittany's resolve to break, and her eyes started to tear up as well. "I've missed you too, Dad."

Pierce stepped into the house so Maribel could close the door, but he didn't move any closer to Brittany. He was holding a blue bag with a gift inside for Nico, and he set it on the floor. "Is it okay if I hug you?"

Brittany nodded and handed Nico to Santana. She tentatively moved closer to her father and they just looked at each other for a moment before they awkwardly put their arms around each other. The hug didn't last long, only a few seconds, as they were both being cautious around each other. Neither one knew how to be around the other at the moment, and they were both afraid of doing too much too soon. It was going to take some time for them to get used to being around each other again.

When they parted, Brittany smiled at her father and gestured towards Santana and Nico. "Do you want to meet Nico?"

Pierce nodded, but then he shook his head. "I want to meet him very much, but I was hoping that you and I could talk for a few minutes? I thought we could discuss a few things before I'm allowed to meet my grandson. I think I owe you that."

"Umm…okay." Brittany said with an unsure tone.

"We don't have to be alone if you don't want to." Pierce said.

"One of us can be with you." Santana said for her and her mother. She was sure Maribel wouldn't mind.

Brittany considered it, but then she shook her head. She thought that she and her father would have a much more honest conversation if they were alone. "We'll be okay." She said and this time she spoke with more confidence in her voice.

"Okay, honey. We'll be in the kitchen." Maribel said.

Santana gave Nico to her mother and then she went up to Brittany and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "If you need anything, just call us." She said before glancing at Pierce and then following her mother into the kitchen.

Brittany walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Pierce followed behind her and did the same. He set the blue bag that he brought with him on the floor by his feet.

Brittany watched her father for a few moments. He looked as nervous as she felt. His forehead was creased as he tried to figure out where he wanted to start, and he couldn't keep his hands still; every few seconds he'd wring them together.

"You look better, healthier." Brittany said with a smile as an icebreaker. It wasn't just flattery to start the conversation, what she said was true. It was the first time in years that she had seen her father look like he used to. His eyes, though a little red from the tears, were not bloodshot, and he didn't have heavy bags under his eyes either. He had put on some weight as well; not an alarming amount, he was still a small man, but it was enough that she thought that he was eating better.

Pierce nodded. "Thanks. I feel a little better. I was in a twelve week inpatient rehab program."

"Really?" Brittany said scrunching her eyebrows. "You never told me that." She had not talked to her father much, but she had spoken to him a few times since Nico was born.

"Maribel knew that I was there. She helped me get into the program, and she's been checking in with me every day since then, which has been such a comfort to know that someone cared and was rooting for me. I asked her not to tell you that I went to rehab, because I didn't want to get your hopes up, or worry you, in case it didn't work."

Brittany could understand the reasoning behind that. She knew that she would have been worried. "That's okay. It looks liked it helped."

"It has, but I still have a long way to go in my recovery. I've been out of rehab for five weeks, but I have to work hard every day not to pick up a drink. I have a lot of issues that I'm dealing with, but I'm actively working on them now. I'm seeing a psychologist once a week, I go to group meetings, and I check in with my rehab counselor regularly, especially when I'm having a hard day and I feel like I'm about to give in to the urge to drink. Thankfully, I haven't relapsed since I started rehab seventeen weeks ago."

"Wow; that's great!" Brittany chirped, a burst of excitement rolling through her. She was so happy that her father was finally getting the help that he needed. "I'm so happy to hear that. What ch-" She started to say, but stopped abruptly when she realized what she almost asked. She bit her lip nervously hoping that she had not messed up already.

Pierce noticed and tentatively reached his hand out, putting it on top of hers. "It's okay, you can ask. We've lost too many years doing this, we have to move forward, and part of my recovery is facing the hard things instead of hiding behind them."

For years, Brittany had tried to help her father, with no success. It took her a long time to realize that she would not be able to help him until he wanted to get help for himself. She nodded and swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. She turned her hand and laced her fingers with his before she asked her question. "What changed to make you want go to rehab?"

Pierce exhaled, but tightened his hold on Brittany's hand. "When I talked to you for the first time after Nico was born, I just stared at the pictures that you and Maribel had sent me for hours and…well I went on a bender, probably one of my worst, because I was so sad and angry…about everything. I don't remember anything that happened for three days. I had blacked out at some point and when I finally came to, it was because I heard my phone chime. I looked at it, and it was a text message from you. It was a picture of you and Nico and Santana. You had just given him a bath. He was a week old and so cute in his little blue jammies. You looked so happy. Santana had her arm around you, giving you a kiss on your cheek, and you were smiling so brightly as you held him close to you, the way I used to hold you when you were a baby, and I looked around me, at a quiet, lonely house, filled with liquor bottles and I broke down. I cried all night as the past eight years replayed in my mind, and I knew something had to change because I couldn't continue to do what I was doing anymore. For the first time I was seeing clearly, and I finally understood what I had done. I had ruined your childhood and I had a child and a grandchild that I wasn't allowed to see. I am a selfish man, a terrible father, and I know it won't even come close to being enough, but I am so sorry, Brittany. I'm so, so sor-ry." He said, his voice cracking, and tears forming in his eyes again.

Brittany couldn't believe what she was hearing. She never thought she would hear her dad admit that he had a problem, let alone apologize to her as well.

"I should have been a better father to you. You needed me and I just abandoned you. I know I messed up, and I can never make up for the hurt I caused you. I wish I could go back and change it, but I can't. I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I'm not going to ask for it, but if you are willing, I would like to work on rebuilding our relationship. It can be in any capacity you want; I just want to be a part of your life again."

Another surge of happiness flowed through Brittany. She had been waiting a long time to hear that from Pierce. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'd like that."

Pierce wrapped his arms around Brittany and tears rolled down his cheeks. He sniffled before saying, "I love you, Britty. I may not have always shown it to you, but I've always loved you."

Brittany's heart leaped in her chest and she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She knew this was just the beginning. Things between them could not be repaired instantly, but for the first time in years, she felt as if she had her real dad back. "I love you too, Dad."

They hugged each other for a few more moments. When they parted, Pierce took a small pack of tissues out of the inner pocket of his jacket. He gave Brittany a tissue and then he took one for himself.

"I'm a big blubbery mess." Pierce said with a little chuckle as he wiped the tears from his face and dabbed his nose. "Your mom used to tease me and say that I was a water head. I think she was right."

It caught Brittany off guard to hear her father casually mention her mother. At first, she felt a sting of fear, but when she saw her father smile fondly, it was a clear indication that things had changed; because right after her death, he would get emotional whenever she was brought up, and then after he started drinking, he'd yell at her to stop talking about her. She learned very quickly as a child not to mention her mother around him. It used to bother her that she couldn't even talk about her, though, now that she was in love with someone she could not even fathom losing, she could better understand why he fell into such despair. She didn't excuse his actions, but she could sort of understand him a little better. It hurt too much even thinking about losing Santana to an incurable illness, so she could only imagine how much more it would hurt if it became a reality.

"She was always right." Brittany said about her mother with a smile.

Pierce nodded. "She was." He said and then brushed a piece of Brittany's hair away from her face. "Sometimes when I look at you, I see so much of her in you…I'm so proud of the woman you have become, and I know she would have been proud of you too."

Tears welled in Brittany's eyes, but she was determined not to cry again, so she wiped them away with the tissue. "Thanks." She said shyly, but before she could say anything else, the sounds of Nico laughing could be heard from the kitchen. She saw the way Pierce's eyes lit up at hearing his grandson's laughter for the first time. "I think it's time you finally met Nico, Grandpa."

Pierce smiled widely at being called 'Grandpa' for the first time. "Yes! I can't wait to meet him." He said with a little clap of his hand.

Brittany chuckled. "I'll be right back." She said standing up and walked to the kitchen.

"How's it going?" Santana asked as soon as she saw Brittany.

"Good. Great, actually." Brittany said with a smile. "He went to rehab and is getting therapy…he's really trying. He's getting better. I can see it!"

"That's awesome, Britt!" Santana chirped. She stood up and gave Brittany a hug and she sighed in relief. She was happy that their conversation went well. She was so worried that things with Pierce would go badly.

"He is doing well with his recovery." Maribel said before standing up with Nico and handing him to Brittany. "It's still in the very early stages, and you and I've talked before about relapse being a part of the recovery process, but so far he's been doing well in maintaining his sobriety, and from what I can tell from talking with Pierce since he started rehab, he's determined to be successful. He's exceeded all my expectations so far."

Brittany smiled and leaned in, giving Maribel as tight of a hug as she could while holding Nico. " _Thank you_. Thank you so much for everything. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Dad said that you helped him get into rehab, and that you've been checking on him as well. You didn't have to do that, but I'm so glad that you did."

"You're welcome." Maribel said leaning back a bit from the hug and kissed Brittany on her forehead. "I know I didn't have to help him, but I wanted to, for you Mija."

Brittany couldn't help the little noise that escaped her and a mixed look of surprise and happiness appeared on her face.

"What?" Maribel asked curiously.

"You called me 'Mija'." Brittany whispered. That was the first time Maribel had ever called her that.

"Oh? I guess I did." Maribel said, she hadn't realized that she said it until it was brought to her attention. "Is that okay?" She asked as she glanced between Brittany and Santana.

"It's fine with me." Santana said with a smile. She had no problem with her mother calling Brittany, 'Mija'. In fact, she liked it, because it was one more thing cementing their relationship.

With Santana's blessing, Brittany nodded and smiled widely. "Yeah, totally okay."

"Good." Maribel said and kissed both Santana and Brittany's cheeks. "You're both my girls."

Brittany's heart swelled. While she loved her mother and missed her dearly, she knew she was lucky, and could not ask for anyone better than Maribel to be the motherly figure that she needed in her life. She leaned in and gave Maribel another hug, whispering, "I love you."

Maribel just smiled and tightened her hold on Brittany. "I love you too, Mija."

When they pulled back from the embrace, Brittany said, "I want to take Nico to meet Dad. I'd like for you two to come in with me. For the first time, I want Nico to have all of his family together."

"Sure, Britt." Santana said and Maribel nodded.

Brittany gave Nico a kiss on his chubby cheek and they went into the living room. Brittany sat in the same spot that she had been sitting in previously. Santana sat on the arm of the couch behind Brittany and Maribel sat in the chair next to them.

"Nico, this is your Grandpa. He's been waiting a long time to meet you." Brittany cooed and then she handed him over to Pierce.

Pierce gently took Nico into his arms, looked down at his eighteen-week-old grandson, and smiled warmly. "Hi, Nico. How are you, baby?"

Nico looked up at him, gurgled, and then he smiled.

Pierce's smile widened and in true water head fashion, he started to tear up again. "You are just the cutest and I love you so much." He cooed and then nuzzled Nico's cheek with his nose before he kissed both of his cheeks. "I know I haven't been around, but I'm working on getting better so your mommies will allow me to watch you grow up. Maybe one day, I'll be as good of a grandparent as your Abuela."

Brittany slid her hand into Santana's and she squeezed it as she watched her father cuddle and talk to the baby. For a moment, she could hardly believe that the scene that was unfolding before her was real, but when she felt Santana squeeze her hand in return, it was like a pinch of reality. It was real. He father was back. He was getting better, slowly, but surely, and he loved her and he loved Nico…she couldn't ask for a happier moment.

-(The Next Day)-

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the class of 2012!" Principal Figgins cheered into the microphone. The auditorium erupted in applause from the audience and graduates. When they all calmed down, he continued. "Graduates, as I call your names, please come up to the stage and collect your diplomas."

As the first name was called, Santana turned around in her seat and looked over at Brittany who was two rows behind her. They made eye contact and smiled, mouthing, "I love you," to each other. Before Santana turned around, Brittany gave her a thumbs up with a goofy grin, and she laughed before giving Brittany a thumbs up as well.

Fifteen minutes later, Santana's name was called, and as she walked across the stage, Brittany cheered the loudest for her. Santana turned to where she heard Brittany's voice and she waved.

"Congratulations, Miss Lopez, and good luck." Principal Figgins said as he shook her hand and placed the diploma into her hand.

"Thanks." Santana said and then exited the stage. As she arrived at her seat, she watched Brittany, whose row was already in line up by the stage. When Brittany's name was called, Santana jumped to her feet, cheering for her with the rest of the audience, and as was the case with Brittany, she was the one that was cheering the loudest.

Brittany could easily hear her over everyone else; as she passed Santana's row to return to her seat, she blew Santana a kiss.

When the ceremony was over and they were free to move about, Brittany and Santana quickly retrieved their caps that they had thrown before meeting up. As the graduates started to disperse to find their families, Santana and Brittany took a moment for themselves by giving each other a soft kiss.

"Congratulations, San!" Brittany said before kissing Santana again.

"Thanks, you too, Britt-Britt."

"I can't believe I actually graduated. When I ran away a year ago, and found out that I was pregnant, I didn't think this was possible, but here we are, graduated and heading off to college!"

Santana chuckled. "You, my love, are smart, and one of the strongest people I've ever known. I _know_ you can do anything you set your mind to. I never doubted it for a minute."

"I did. I don't think I would have graduated if it wasn't for you and your mom taking me in and giving me a loving and supportive home."

Santana nodded. She still hated to think about the bad things could have happened to Brittany and Nico if she had not been in a car accident in Lima, and made it to Chicago as she originally planned.

"Well, I'm just glad that fate laid a hand and brought us together. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore."

Brittany blushed. "Me too, San." She said shyly. "You, your mom, and Nico are the best things that ever happened to me as well."

"I guess we are just a pair of lucky girls." Santana said and then kissed Brittany one more time. "Come on; let's go find our parents and Nico."

Brittany nodded and slid her hand down Santana's arm and laced their fingers together. "Yeah, let's find them. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can celebrate!"

"I'm just ready for my sticks!" Santana said. They were going out to celebrate at Breadstix. Maribel also had a cake at home for them, but all Santana could think about was the delicious breadsticks.

Brittany just chuckled at Santana and her obsession. As they pushed through the crowd on their way to the area that Maribel said that they would be sitting in, they stopped a few times to talk to their friends. When they finally found their parents, Pierce was holding Nico and keeping him occupied by pretending that the stuffed animal that he had given him the day before was singing a silly song. Brittany smiled as she watched them. She hoped that this version of her dad was all that Nico ever knew.

"Mijas! You two did great." Maribel chirped.

"We just walked across a stage, Mom." Santana deadpanned.

Maribel rolled her eyes. "Yes, well at least you didn't trip. Just imagine how embarrassing that would have been." She teased.

Santana playfully stuck her tongue out at her mother.

"Are you ready to go out and celebrate your mommies?" Pierce cooed to Nico and then made a funny face, causing the baby to giggle.

"I think that's a yes." Santana chuckled.

-()-()-()-()-

Later that night, after Pierce had gone back to his hotel and Nico was put to bed, Brittany and Santana were getting ready to go over to Mercedes' house for the graduation party that her parents were throwing for her. Santana was sitting in front of the vanity doing her hair while Brittany was still trying to decide on whether she wanted to wear a dress or black pants, white t-shirt, and a gray vest.

"Wear the pants." Santana finally said after Brittany held the outfits up against her and looked at herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time. "You look super sexy in that vest."

Brittany busted out laughing. "And to think you once thought you were straight."

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle. "What? You look amazing in that outfit." Santana shrugged. "You can pull off a vest, unlike people who think they can, like Mr. Schue."

Brittany giggled and put the dress back in the closet and the pants and vest on the bed. She went over to Santana and pulled the curling iron out of her hand, setting it on the vanity, and then she straddled Santana, sitting on her legs as she faced her. As she was putting her arms around Santana's neck, Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist to hold her close to her.

"Hi." Brittany cooed.

"Hey." Santana said smiling.

"I love you." Brittany said nuzzling her nose with Santana's.

"I love you too, Britt-Britt."

Brittany smiled and leaned in, connecting their lips in a soft kiss. Santana slowly ran her hands up Brittany's back and into her hair as she deepened the kiss. They kissed until Brittany needed to stop to catch her breath.

When they parted, they just looked at each other with smiles gracing their lips for a few moments before Santana leaned in and pecked Brittany's lips.

"What is it babe?" Santana asked. She could just tell by the way that Brittany was looking at her that she wanted to say something.

Brittany chuckled and looked away shyly. Santana could read her like a book sometimes. "It's just…been an emotional couple of days." She said, pausing for a moment before she looked at Santana again. "I know we've been together for almost a year, but sometimes when things like today happen, and I'm reminded how drastically different my life could have been, I still can't believe that this is real. You came into my life when I really needed someone, and you could have just walked away, but you didn't. You stuck with me, and loved me though all my personal and family drama. You adopted my son and you love him as if he was your own biological son. We became a family, a real family that loves each other, and does things that loving families are supposed to do, and I just love you so much. I just want you know that I think you are the best person in the world, and I am so thankful for you."

Santana's heart fluttered. "Britt, that is so sweet, but I'm thankful for you too. You helped me just as much as I helped you. You saw something in me that I didn't realize at first, and then when I did, and didn't want to accept it, you dealt with my gay panic and helped me embrace who I really am. I couldn't have done it if you weren't loving and patient, and secretly holding my hand under napkins.

Brittany giggled at the memories. It may have seemed silly, but she loved those moments with Santana.

"You helped me grow up and realize that there are more important things than being a cheerleader and trying to rule the school with my popularity. One of the best things I ever did was quit the Cheerios. It made me a better person to get away from that toxicity. And best of all, you gave me Nico. You made me a mom to the sweetest little boy who has stolen my heart… it was the best gift anyone could have ever given me. You changed my life. Actually, you gave me a better life than I originally thought I wanted. And of course I think you're the best person in the whole world too." Santana said adding a wink.

Brittany smiled shyly again. "When you put it like that, I guess we're just perfect for each other."

"Perfect, perfect." Santana cooed with a soft smile.

Brittany nodded. She needed to feel closer to Santana, so she leaned, kissing her again.

It was a sweet embrace that quickly escalated into another full-on make out session. When they finally parted, they were both out of breath, topless, and the few perfect curls that Santana had managed to put in her hair earlier were wrecked. They rested their foreheads together as they tried to calm their heart rates.

Santana slowly ran her hands up and down Brittany's sides, her fingers causing the bare skin to tingle. Brittany couldn't help but to shudder when Santana's thumb brushed against the bottom of her breast.

"Can we just stay here for the rest of the night?" Santana asked, her breath ghosting over Brittany's lips.

Brittany groaned. "I wish we could, but Mercedes would never forgive us if we blew off her party."

Mercedes was so excited for her party. She had been talking about it for the past few weeks.

Santana sighed. She knew Brittany was right; they had to go. "We're going to be late."

"That's okay, as long as we aren't too late." Brittany said nuzzling her nose with Santana's. "Let's just stay like this for a few more minutes, and then we'll get ready." This is the first time that they had to be alone all day, so she just wanted Santana to herself for a little while longer.

Santana smiled and leaned in, kissing Brittany softly. This time they were more restrained, knowing that they couldn't have the kind of make out session that they just had without frustrating themselves. They kissed sweetly, until they were interrupted by Santana's phone chiming with a text message.

"I guess that is our cue." Brittany said. She was sure that was Mercedes checking on them.

"I guess so."

Brittany pecked Santana's lips one more time before she stood up from her lap.

"You know, I liked you straddling me like that." Santana said as Brittany went over to the bed to retrieve her clothes and she looked in the mirror at her hair.

Brittany smirked turning to look at Santana. "Maybe I'll do it again."

"Soon." Santana said winking at Brittany through the mirror.

"Maybe later tonight." Brittany teased shimmying.

Santana chuckled. "I'm going to hold you to that."

"You better."

Twenty minutes later, they were both dressed, and ready to leave the house.

"Are you ready to go celebrate out graduation?" Santana asked.

Brittany nodded and slid her hand down Santana's arm, linking their fingers together. "Our graduation and the beginning of the next step in our lives."

Santana smiled as she lifted their hands to her lips and kissed Brittany's hand. "You and me…"

"…forever and ever." Brittany finished with a wide smile.

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all liked this chapter. There is one more chapter, and then this story will be complete. If you have a few seconds, please leave a review telling me what you thought. I love your feedback.

I know it's been a turbulent few days for the Brittana fandom, there's a lot of emotions going around. I'd like to ask that you please don't discuss it in the review area, but if you wish to talk about it, I'd be more than happy to talk to you in my inbox.

I'd like to thank my beta, **naynay1963** for being the best beta ever! I couldn't do it without her.

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 (Epilogue)**

Part One

2017

Brittany stood looking out of the window of her room, adjusting the sash on her satin robe. A dreamy smile graced her lips as she looked at the fresh snowfall that laid undisturbed on the lawn below her. It was picturesque, like a real winter wonderland with the snow, evergreen trees, and mountains in the short distance framing the lawn. She could only imagine how beautiful the ballroom one floor below was, decorated for Christmas with this same scene visible from the large viewing window.

She could hardly believe that her wedding day to Santana had arrived. It felt as if it was a long time coming, but at the same time, the six and half years that they had been together flew by. It seemed like only yesterday that they were graduating high school and starting college. They had certainly come a long way from being two kids thrown together because of an unfortunate chain of events, to two women working on their careers with a son in kindergarten.

When they started college, Santana had no idea what area of study she wanted to enter, but thankfully, she found her direction quickly. Halfway through her first semester of college, her English Literature professor approached her about the quality of her work. At first Santana was nervous that she had done something wrong, but as it turned out, it was quite the opposite. Her analysis of the subject matter, and nearly perfectly edited papers quickly caught the professor's attention. She had never had a freshman student that wrote as well as Santana and after a few conversations where Santana confided that she loved reading and writing, her professor encouraged her to pursue a degree that played to her strengths as a writer and literary analyst. It shortly after that that Santana declared English as her major and eventually she chose a minor in journalism.

Currently, Santana was working as a copy editor for the Lima Gazette, but she had recently put in applications to several major publishing houses. She was hoping one of them would hire her as an editor that worked from home, because it would allow her to work, but also gave her the flexibility she needed for Nico. Ultimately, she was hoping that a job with a publishing house would give her a foot in the door, and make it easier to achieve her dream job of becoming a full time author. She wanted to help people by writing the kind of stories that she wanted to see in the world, but were lacking in publication. Representation mattered a great deal to Santana, and she knew that if she needed those stories, others needed them too. If she could help at least one person with her writing, she would feel like a success. She had so many ideas for novels, some of them were already partially written, in different stages of completion, or outlined in documents on her computer, and some of them were in a notebook waiting for her to have the time to outline and write them. She wrote almost every day, fitting it in to her schedule where she could, but until she could make writing for a living a reality, she was content editing other people's work.

Brittany followed her original plan of majoring in photography and minoring in business. She continued to assist Trisha while building her portfolio, but an unexpected opportunity in advancing her career came when Trisha came to Brittany in her second year of college and asked her if she would be interested in taking over the studio when she planned to retire in a few years. Brittany had never imagined owning her own studio so soon, but she gladly jumped at the idea. Along with her classes at Lima Community, she had been learning how to run a photography business from Trisha, and she knew that she could keep the business as successful as it was, if not more successful. When she came to Santana with the news of the opportunity to buy the studio, she immediately threw her support behind Brittany. They just had to figure out how to get the money, because while they had some savings, it was nowhere near the kind of money that was needed to buy Trisha's studio and all the equipment.

They were still living at home with Maribel. Nico was in his own room, but Maribel had allowed them to rearrange and convert the basement into an apartment so they could have some privacy as a couple. They didn't have a lot of monthly expenses, such as rent and utilities, but they didn't have a lot of extra money either. They were full time students and they were only working part time; Brittany as Trisha's assistant, and Santana in the campus library proofreading term papers for other students or articles for the school newspaper twenty-five hours a week, the maximum hours a student was allowed to work on campus. At the time, they couldn't work more than that because of Nico. Their childcare costs were virtually nonexistent because they had worked out their school and work schedules with Maribel so they wouldn't have to pay for daycare.

It didn't take them long to come to the conclusion that they only way that they would be able to take on this venture would be to get a loan, if they could qualify for one, which was a daunting thought. Neither of them had any experience in applying for a loan, not even a student loan, as both of their tuitions were being paid by college funds from their parents. The first person that they thought to talk to for guidance in undertaking this new endeavor was Maribel. She took some time to think about it and after a phone call to Pierce; she suggested that they use the extra money that was in their college funds. Since they had gone to a community college as opposed to a more expensive state or private university, there would be money left over from both funds. They could use it as a down payment for a business loan and Maribel and/or Pierce would cosign the loan if needed. So, with that plan in mind, two months after Brittany graduated from college, at the age of twenty-two, she became the owner of her own studio.

That was eighteen months ago, and her business was thriving as it had under Trisha. In fact, the last year and a half had been one of the most exciting times of Brittany's life. Not only was she pursuing, and succeeding in her career, her personal life took a thrilling turn when Santana proposed and they started planning for their wedding.

Brittany had not been expecting the proposal. Of course, she knew that they would be married one day, they were practically married as it was, but the week before Brittany officially took over the studio, she and Santana went away for a long weekend. It was summer, so they rented a cabin on Lake Erie. They spent their days soaking up the sun, lounging, and enjoying a stress free time away from home. Then on the last night, Santana surprised her by dropping to one knee on the beach at sunset, holding a diamond ring, and asking her to become her wife. Brittany actually started crying before Santana could even finish asking her. By the time Santana got to, "Will you marry me?" she practically flung herself into Santana's arms, saying, "Yes, yes, yes!" before she kissed her soundly.

After the proposal, they went back to their cabin and made love over and over again, but by the end of the night, they had decided on a date, Saturday December 23, 2017. Brittany really wanted a Christmas wedding because it was her favorite holiday and favorite time of the year. Santana didn't have a preference on when they got married, as long as they did. They both wanted a big wedding, where everyone they loved could share in their special day, so since they knew they couldn't save for and plan the wedding that they wanted in six months, they decided to wait until the next year.

Planning for the wedding had been fun and exciting for the most part. The only thing that really caused them any real stress was at the very beginning when they were making the guest list. Santana wanted to invite Alma to the wedding, even though she had not spoken to her Abuela in years. Brittany was supportive of her decision, even if she was wary. Alma had refused to speak to Santana ever since she found out she was gay, and she barely spoke to Maribel for "allowing her to live in sin." However, despite the hurt that that had caused Santana, she was hoping that after being estranged from her family for so long, Alma would have had a change of heart and want to reconcile with her family, but unfortunately, she couldn't accept it, and would not come to the wedding. In fact, Maribel heard from a family friend that still lived in Puerto Rico that after receiving the invitation, Alma had booked a trip to Belize with another friend for Christmas and New Year's.

It broke Santana's heart again to know that her abuela had not moved an inch on her stance concerning her. It was as if she lost her again, but after a few weeks of it weighing on her mind, she finally decided to let it go, for good. She would not try to gain someone's love that couldn't accept her as she was. Brittany loved her completely, and if she had to choose one, she would choose Brittany over her abuela every time.

Once they got past that unpleasantness, the planning was mostly smooth sailing. They had a few bumps in the road concerning vendor and location availability, but in the end, things worked out even better than they initially thought. Their first choice of location had been a farm in Indiana that Brittany's parents used to visit. Unfortunately, it was booked for their date, which bummed Brittany out in the beginning. She did not want to change the date, but as fate would have it, they accidently stumbled upon an advertisement for a manor house in Vermont that did weddings and boasted the perfect setting for a winter wedding. They immediately went online to do some research and after looking at pictures on the manor's website, Brittany and Santana fell in love with the place. Thankfully, when they called to inquire about availability, they were able to book for their date.

As Brittany looked out the window at the beautiful winter scenery, she could hardly imagine wanting to get married anywhere else. Then, a few moments later, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Before she could answer it, her two bridesmaids let themselves into the room.

"We brought you breakfast." Tina said holding a tray with a plate of food and a large white ceramic mug almost overflowing with whipped cream. "I told the waitress it was for one of the brides, so she gave you extra marshmallows in your hot chocolate."

Brittany smiled widely as she took the mug from the tray. "Thanks! A day like today definitely calls for hot chocolate and extra marshmallows."

"According to Santana, when we brought her breakfast and coffee, she said that today called for champagne." Mercedes said.

Brittany giggled before taking a sip. She hummed at the taste and licked away the resulting whipped cream mustache. "She's right, but coffee and hot chocolate first."

"We saw your Dad and Nico in the dining room ordering breakfast. They said that they were going to stop by to see you and Santana before we start doing makeup, then as Nico put it, they're going to 'disappear like ninjas' until it's time to meet up for pictures."

Brittany giggled. She loved his imagination. "Have you seen Maribel?" She asked.

Tina nodded. "Yes. She's with Santana, but she said that she was going to come by soon."

"Okay, great."

"Santana also sent this." Mercedes said holding an envelope. "She said she wanted to come in and see you, but she said her mother would probably kill her if she tried, so she wrote you a note instead."

Brittany smiled as she took the letter. She slowly ran her finger over her name written in Santana's slanted, but neat writing.

"We'll let you have a few minutes to yourself." Mercedes said.

"Make sure you eat something too." Tina added sitting the tray with the food on the small table by the window.

"Thanks." Brittany said and when they left, she sat at the table. She looked outside once again to take in the beautiful scenery that would play back drop to their ceremony and reception. She still found it hard to believe that something so beautiful would play a big part in one of the best days of her life.

After a few moments, she looked at the plate sitting in front her and picked up a piece of buttered toast. She took a bite before wiping her fingers of crumbs and opened the envelope. She unfolded the paper and smiled as she read Santana's letter.

 _Dear Brittany,_

 _I miss you. I was hoping to see you for just a few minutes, since I haven't seen you since last night, because you know how much I miss you when I have to go a few hours without seeing you, but just the mere mention of seeing you before the ceremony nearly gave my mom a heart attack. She started ranting at me in Spanish about it being bad luck. I think it's an outdated superstition, but I'm sure you probably would have been upset with me too. You and my mom are so alike in that respect, so I won't cause you two any stress by tempting fate, but before we get married, I just wanted to tell you one more time that I love you. I love you so much, that sometimes it still takes me by surprise that I could love someone as much as I love you. Even after all these years, you are still the woman of my dreams, and I can't wait to be your wife._

 _I wish that I could take you into my arms and give you a kiss right now, but I guess it will have to wait until we say, "I do." I'll be counting down the minutes before I can see you standing at the end of the aisle in your dress. I'm sure you will be the most beautiful bride in the whole world._

 _I love you, I love you, I love you,_

 _Santana_

Brittany beamed as she read the letter again. It wasn't long, but it said everything she needed to hear from Santana. She loved that Santana had sent her a letter. She could have just called or texted her, but a hand written letter was definitely a nice touch and so romantic. Thankfully, her room had also been provided with stationary as well, so she went over to the nightstand and took an envelope, a piece of paper, and pen to write Santana a letter in return. She sat at the table by the window as she wrote.

 _Dear Santana,_

 _I miss you too, but I love that you accept my superstitious quirks, even if you don't believe in them. I wish that I could kiss you now too, but just think about how special our next kiss will be…the next time you and I kiss it will be as wives. How awesome it that?! You are still my favorite person in the world, and I can't believe that I get to be married to you for the rest of my life. It's the best feeling in the whole world!_

 _I can't wait to see you in your dress too. I'm sure my heart will want to explode because you will be absolutely gorgeous and the most beautiful bride I've ever seen. I'm counting down the minutes as well. Meet you at the altar, baby!_

 _With all my love,_

 _Brittany_

Once she was finished with her letter, she ate her breakfast as she continued to enjoy the scenery outside. She was just finishing when she heard a knock on the door. Tina and Mercedes had a room key to let themselves in, so she guessed that it was either her dad and Nico, or the hair and makeup people. They were due to arrive any minute. It was almost eight o'clock and they had pictures starting at noon before the ceremony at two o'clock.

When she opened the door, Nico bolted into the room, wrapping his arms around her. "Mommy!"

"Hey little man!" Brittany chirped and leaned down kissing him on the top of his head.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too. Were you good for Grandpa last night?"

Since Nico saw Maribel every day, they had offered to let Nico stay with Pierce so he could have more time with him. Pierce, of course, jumped at the opportunity.

Nico nodded emphatically to answer her question as he looked up at her.

"He was an angel." Pierce confirmed stepping in the room before hugging her and kissing her cheek.

"Grandpa let me watch a movie and have popcorn!" Nico cheered with a wide smile.

"He did? Did you brush your teeth after the popcorn?" Brittany asked.

"Yes. And today too. See?" Nico said smiling widely, showing her his teeth.

"Well they certainly look clean, but you're going to brush them again before the wedding, right?"

"Yep!"

"You're going to look so great in the pictures." Brittany said.

"He sure will. He's going to be the best ring bearer ever and probably the cutest five, almost six-year-old in the room. He's been dying to put on his tux too." Pierce said. "You're ready for the wedding to start, aren't you Nico?"

"Super ready!" Nico said letting go of his hold on Brittany. "I'm gonna dance!" He added and started dancing.

When Santana and Brittany first explained what a wedding was to Nico, he didn't seem that interested in the ceremony portion, mainly because he didn't understand why they needed to do it, but he perked up when they mentioned that there would be a party afterwards. Like Brittany, he loved to dance.

"Me too!" Pierced said excitedly and then scooped Nico up in his arms and danced around the room with him.

Brittany giggled as she watched her father and Nico play together. She loved that Nico had a great relationship with him. He was an amazing grandparent, and in fact, her own relationship with her father was better than it was when she was a young child. Over the past few years, Pierce had done well with his recovery. After that first visit for Santana and Brittany's high school graduation, Pierce put a picture of him holding Nico in his wallet to look at on his hard days. Then after a year of sobriety, Trisha took a family picture of all of five of them, and he started carrying that picture as well, as a reminder of what he could lose if he succumbed to his addiction and started drinking again. Thankfully, Pierce's hard work and determination to be with his family, instead of the bottom of a bottle won out, and he had maintained his sobriety ever since he went to rehab the week after Nico was born.

Brittany couldn't help herself and she started dancing around the room with her dad and Nico. They were in their own little world and in a fit of giggles when Maribel eventually came into the room.

"Well, it looks like you started the party early." She joked.

"Not yet, not without Mama." Nico said. "We was just dancin'."

"I see that and you were doing a great job." She said and went up to Brittany, giving her a hug. "I just came over to check on you and see if you need anything, Mija."

"I think I'm okay for right now. Mercedes and Tina will be back anytime. How's Santana?" Brittany asked.

"She's good. Excited. A little anxious too, I think, but she's trying to hide it. Quinn and Marcus are doing a good job of keeping her distracted so she can't over think things too much."

Brittany giggled. "I still can't believe that she talked Marcus into being a bridesmaid with Quinn."

Technically, Marcus' title in the wedding party was 'Best Man', but Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Mercedes, and Tina had taken to teasing him and calling him a bridesmaid. Marcus, thankfully, knew it was all in good fun and took the teasing in stride. He didn't care. He had four older sisters that used to tease him when he was a kid, so he knew how to let it roll of his back. He didn't care what they called him, Santana was still his best friend, and he was just happy to be standing beside her when she got married.

As promised, Marcus and Santana mended their friendship as if it had never been bruised, and at the same time, Brittany and Marcus built a friendship. While they were in college, Marcus would come up to Lima from Ohio State to stay with them on some weekends. He also kept his promise of teaching Nico how to play sports, and when he got old enough, he attended almost all of his Pee Wee and little league games. They were closer than some blood related families, and when Marcus started any relationship with a woman, he made sure that she understood that his relationship with Santana, Brittany, and Nico was important to him. They were a part of his family and they were always going to be in his life. It was an issue for some of his girlfriends, as they couldn't understand or trust the dynamic of their relationship, but for his current girlfriend of two years, Emily, she accepted that with no qualms, especially after she met them. In fact, they were all good friends and Nico had started calling her 'Auntie Emily'.

"He's being a good sport about it." Maribel chuckled.

"He is." Pierce agreed. "I don't think he minds being a 'bridesmaid' at all."

"Can we go see Mama?" Nico asked. "I miss her."

"Aww, of course you can. I'm sure your mama misses you too." Brittany said and kneeled down. "Come give me a hug and a kiss."

Nico ran up to her and hugged her tightly before kissing both of Brittany's cheeks.

"Before you go, can you do me a big favor?" Brittany asked.

Nico nodded and Brittany went to retrieve her letter for Santana.

"It's really important…can you take this to Mama for me?"

"Yes!" Nico cheered, happy to be tasked with an important job and took the envelope from Brittany.

"That's my good boy." Brittany beamed and kissed him on his forehead.

Pierce gave Brittany another hug when she stood up. "We'll see you in a few hours for pictures, Britty."

"Okay, Dad."

"I'll see you soon, Mija." Maribel said and gave Brittany a hug as well.

As Brittany opened the door to let them out of her room, she found Tina poised to knock. Mercedes and three beauticians were also there.

"I guess we have perfect timing." Mercedes said.

"Mm-hmm." Brittany said with a nod.

Maribel, Pierce, and Nico left and Tina, Mercedes and the beauticians came in. They all chatted, as the stylists were setting up, and then when they were finished, one of them turned to Brittany and motioned to a chair before asking, "Are you ready?"

Brittany smiled and nodded. "I've been ready for a long time."

-()-()-()-()-

Santana fidgeted as she and her mother waited for the wedding coordinator to tell them to line up. Their wedding party would walk down the aisle first, then Brittany and her father, and then Santana and her mother. They had to be very careful about when to leave the room, because Brittany didn't want them to see each other until Santana was walking towards her, down the aisle.

"Mija…" Maribel said as she stood up from where she was sitting on the small love seat and walked up to her, carefully wrapping her arms around her. "It's going to be okay. Everything is in place. You don't have to pace."

Santana scrunched her eyebrows, and then she realized that her mother thought she was nervous. "I know it will be, I'm not nervous, I'm impatient." She was more than ready to marry Brittany.

"You've waited this long, I think you can wait just a few more minutes." Maribel chuckled and then she backed up so she could take in all of Santana. She smiled fondly. "When I was pregnant with you, I used to daydream about how your life would turn out, and I don't think I have to say that you have definitely shattered most of those imaginings." She said with a little chuckle and Santana chuckled as well. "But you have shattered those preconceptions in the best way possible. You have grown into an exceptional young woman and you are even more beautiful than I used to picture you on your wedding day. You are absolutely gorgeous." She said gently caressing her cheek. "You haven't been my little girl for a long time, but sometimes when I look at you, I still see that little girl. I saw her this morning, but dressed like this, I see a woman in love, who is going to marry another exceptional young woman, and I couldn't be happier for you…I only wish your father could be here to walk you down the aisle instead of me."

Santana took her mother's hand and she pushed back her tears, because she didn't want to ruin her make up. She did not have time to fix it, and she wanted to look her best for Brittany. "You're going to make me cry." She said.

"I'm sorry, but I had to say it." Maribel said fighting her own tears.

Santana nodded. "I wish Daddy could be here too, but even if he was, I'd want you to walk me down the aisle too."

Maribel's heart fluttered in her chest and she wrapped her arms around Santana, hugging her tightly. "I love you, Mija."

"I love you too, Mama." Santana whispered.

When they pulled out of the hug, Maribel wiped her eyes before the tears fell, and Santana did the same.

"Just wait until you see Brittany. You are going to fall in love with her all over again." Maribel said. She had seen her when they were having the pre-ceremony pictures taken.

"Mama!" Santana whined. "You can't do that to me. I've been dying to see her all day."

"All good things are worth waiting for." Maribel teased and then winked. "You'll see her in a few minutes."

"We should have done the 'first look' thing like I suggested." Santana said feeling more impatient than ever. "Then I could have seen Britt while we were doing pictures, but you and Brittany had to veto that."

"Mija, there is nothing wrong with adhering to some traditions. I like that about Brittany. She marches to beat of her own drum most of the time, but she also likes tradition…she's a perfect balance."

Santana had to admit that her mother was right, she liked that about Brittany as well, but that still didn't mean that she wasn't eager to see her.

They next few minutes dragged on as Santana chatted with her mother, and then finally came the knock on the door. Pauline, the wedding coordinator opened the door, and Santana could hear the music.

"It's time." Pauline said with a smile. "Brittany just started down the aisle."

Santana sighed in relief. She was more than ready. Maribel picked up the bouquet of red roses and held it out for her. Santana took it and they quickly went to stand in front of the closed doors. Santana hooked her arm around her mother's.

"Let's get you married, Mija." Maribel whispered.

Santana smiled and nodded.

A few moments later, the music changed, signaling that it was Santana's turn. Pauline and her assistant counted to five and then slowly opened the double doors.

As soon as the guests saw Santana, they all gasped at her beauty, as they had done with Brittany, but at the moment, Santana was not paying attention to any of them. She could only look at Brittany. She took in her soon to be wife, and her whole body started buzzing. Brittany was an absolute vision. She was the most beautiful bride she had ever seen, and her heart burst with joy as she walked towards her knowing that she was _her bride_. Santana couldn't help the wide smile that was on her face, and she was actually surprised that she wasn't the one that was crying tears of joy. Usually she was the one that cried over emotional things, but as she and her mother approached Brittany, she could see that Brittany, while smiling as widely as she was, was also fighting tears.

Brittany couldn't help the tears. As soon as she saw Santana, she beamed, but she was also hit with so many emotions at once that she couldn't process them any other way than to tear up. She was awestruck by Santana in her wedding dress, taking in every detail that she could and committing it to memory, because even though she was a photographer, she knew the mental image that she would have of this moment would be best picture she could have. When Santana and Maribel were only a few steps away, Brittany quickly took the tissue that Mercedes had given her right before she walked down the aisle and wiped away the tears so they wouldn't track down her face and mess up her perfect make up.

When Santana and Maribel finally reached the end of the aisle, Maribel gave Santana a kiss on her cheek and then gave Brittany one on her cheek as well. "Love you both." She whispered.

"Love you too." Santana and Brittany both whispered back to her and then glanced at each other, silently saying it to each other.

Nico, who had been standing next to Marcus, wanted to hug them too, so he went over to them and Santana and Brittany both gave him a hug and a kiss on his forehead before he went back to his spot.

They turned towards the officiant, both handing their bouquets to their attendants and then Brittany reached out her hand and took Santana's hand into her own, kissing it softly. The energy exchange that happened when finally they touched flowed though both of them. They were both so happy that they had finally reached this point. In less than thirty minutes, they would say their vows, promising to continue to love and support each other as they have done since the day that they met, exchange rings, and then after sharing a kiss that they had been longing for all day, they would be married. They would be each other's wives for the rest of their lives.

When they gave the officiant their full attention, he smiled at them and motioned for all the guests to sit down. "Welcome!" He chirped. "Today, we celebrate love, and the beginning of a marriage between two women that I believe are a shining example to all of us of what it means to truly love another...

-()-()-()-()-

"You're my wife!" Brittany cheered as she and Santana slipped into one of the bridal vestibules after the ceremony for a few moments to themselves before they had to take more pictures. "After all these years, we're finally wives!"

"We are." Santana squealed, her heart fluttering.

She loved hearing Brittany refer to her as 'wife'. In reality, they've practically been married since they were teenagers, and they had been calling each other 'wife', jokingly, since they got engaged, but now that it was official, Santana couldn't help but to feel a surge of emotion. She was sure that nothing about the inner workings of their relationship would change now that they were married, but the legality of it was immensely important to Santana, especially after everything they had to do concerning her legal relationship with Nico.

Ohio still didn't allow second parent adoption, so even though she was his mother in every way that Brittany was, legally she was not. They had to have a parenting and custody agreement made, and approved by a judge, that gave Santana shared rights with Brittany until the law changed and she could officially adopt him. Thankfully, they haven't had many occasions where they had to use it, mostly just for initial medical appointments and when they registered Nico for school, but still, it was the principle of the matter of even having it in the first place that frustrated her. She hated that anyone could potentially tell her she was not Nico's mother, as if the legal sense was the only one that mattered. However, now that she and Brittany were married, they were considered a family in the eyes of the law, and no one could tell her that she had no rights to Brittany. She had every right as her spouse, and that meant the world to Santana.

Brittany lifted Santana's hand up, twirling her gracefully in a circle before pulling her into her and wrapping her arms around her. "I didn't get a chance to say it earlier, but you are _stunning_. My heart nearly stopped when I saw you walking towards me."

"My heart started racing." Santana said nuzzling her nose with Brittany's. "I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have the most beautiful bride in the whole world."

Brittany pulled her head back a bit and looked at Santana with a cheeky smile. "You take that back right now; _I_ have the most beautiful bride in the whole world."

Santana shook her head and nuzzled her nose with Brittany's again. "Nope, you don't. I do. When I was younger, I used to think that I would be most beautiful woman in the room on my wedding day, but I was wrong. You are."

Brittany couldn't help but to blush. She knew she was not going to win, so instead of trying to convince Santana what she knew was true for both of them; she leaned in and kissed her softly. Santana immediately cupped Brittany's cheeks and deepened the kiss. The kiss they had shared in the ceremony was sweet and amazing, but now that they were alone, Santana needed more of Brittany. She needed to have a kiss that they couldn't have in front of their guests. She needed a kiss that was only meant for them.

They kissed for a few moments before Brittany unexpectedly broke away. Santana was about to protest, until she realized that Brittany only stopped so she could scoop her into her arms. Once she had her secure in her hold, she kissed her again. Santana cupped Brittany's cheeks again, kissing her deeply as Brittany carried her bridal style the short distance over to the love seat, and sat down with Santana in her lap.

They whispered loving words in-between heated and sweet kisses until they were interrupted from their moment by a light knock on the door. That was their cue from Maribel.

When they parted from the kiss, they rested their foreheads together.

"I love you." Brittany whispered as she nuzzled her nose with Santana's.

"I love you too." Santana whispered back.

Brittany pecked Santana's lips. "Come on; let's go get our pictures taken so we can get our reception on."

Santana chuckled leaning back a bit so she could see Brittany, but she didn't get out of her lap. "We've only been planning this party for a year and half, so we better not miss it."

Brittany shook her head. "No we wouldn't want to do that. Let's go celebrate!"

-()-()-()-()-

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we're nearing the end of the night, which means we only have two more songs left." The D.J. said into the microphone, drawing a round of groans and playful boos from the crowd. "I know, I know. This is has been one of my favorite weddings. You guys are fun!"

"Two songs left?" Brittany said to Santana. They had been in the middle of the dance floor for the past two and a half hours dancing with their guests. "That went by quickly."

"Yeah it did." Santana said. They had not been paying attention to the time and the end of the five-hour reception practically snuck up on them. It felt as if it had only started.

"We're going to switch gears for a few minutes and slow things down for the second to last song." The D.J. said as the intro to Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' started to play. "So if you aren't on the floor already, grab that special someone, and join our lovely brides for a dance to everyone's favorite ginger."

Brittany and Santana just looked at each other knowingly and started giggling.

"Everyone's favorite ginger, huh?" Brittany said with an amused chuckle as she wrapped her arms around Santana. They both loved Ed Sheeran, but he was hardly their favorite redhead.

"He must not know Nicole Haught." Santana said swaying her hips in time with Brittany's.

"He definitely doesn't, because if he did, she'd totally be his favorite ginger." Brittany said.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I'm ready to spend some alone time with my favorite blonde." Santana said in a suggestive tone.

Brittany leaned down and kissed Santana softly. "Me too." She whispered before she gently nipped at her ear.

-()-()-()-()-

Once the reception ended, and Brittany and Santana made their rounds thanking and bidding their guests goodnight, they went to where Pierce and Maribel were sitting at a table with a heavy-eyed Nico. It was a little after ten o'clock and they were surprised that he had made it this long, considering how long he had been awake, and how much dancing he had done with them on the dance floor.

"That was some party, Mijas." Maribel said.

"Yeah, it was the bestest." Nico said. "Can we do it again tomorrow?"

Santana and Brittany chuckled.

"No, this is a one-time deal, but tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and then after that is Christmas, so we still have a lot of fun stuff coming up." Brittany said.

"You're excited about Santa coming soon, right?" Santana asked.

"Yes!" Nico cheered and then he yawned.

"I think this little guy is worn out." Pierce said and then he yawned as well. "I think I might be too. I haven't danced that much in years."

Brittany chuckled. "Me either, but I'm not tired yet."

"I'm not either." Santana said, but she knew even if she and Brittany were tired, they would hardly go back to their room and go to sleep. They were both looking forward to their wedding night.

"It's the adrenaline." Maribel said knowingly. "I'm sure when it wears off; you're going to crash."

"Probably." Brittany said ran her hand through Nico's already mussed hair. "I think it's bed time for Nico though. It's way past his bed time."

"But I'm not tired!" Nico insisted, but no sooner than he said that, he yawned.

All the adults chuckled.

"We'll take care of him." Pierce assured.

Maribel nodded towards the door. "Yeah, we'll get him settled. You two go and enjoy the rest of your night." She said with a little wink.

Brittany smiled and nodded, but that little wink made Santana's cheeks heat up. Of course her mother knew what was going to happen next, it was their wedding night after all, but even at twenty-three years old, some things could still embarrass Santana, and her mother alluding to her having sex with Brittany was definitely one of those things.

In an effort to shake herself out of her embarrassment, Santana leaned down, picked up Nico from his seat, and gave him a big hug and a kiss on each cheek. "I love you little man."

"Love you too, Mama." Nico said as he kissed her cheeks as well.

"You're staying with Grandpa again tonight, so make sure you behave and do everything he says, like taking a bath, brushing your teeth, and going to bed when he tells you to, okay?"

Nico nodded. "Yes, Mama."

Santana smiled and nodded. She nuzzled her nose with his playfully and then kissed his forehead. "That's my good boy."

Nico smiled sleepily, but he was happy that his mama was proud of him.

Brittany reached her arms out and Santana passed Nico to her.

"Hey buddy." Brittany cooed and kissed his cheeks as she hugged him tightly. "I love you so much."

"Love you, Mommy." Nico said and kissed her cheeks as well.

"Make sure you get a good night's sleep, because we have a surprise for you tomorrow."

They were taking him to one of the nearby ski resorts that offered sledding for kids. They weren't comfortable with him learning to ski or snowboard yet, maybe in another year, but they knew he would love sledding and playing in the snow.

Nico gasped. "Really?!"

"Really, really!" Brittany said with a smile. "And don't forget that we have to be ready for Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow too."

Since their wedding was so close to Christmas and New Year's they had planned to have a family vacation and stay at the manor for a few days to celebrate the holidays, and then after the New Year, Santana and Brittany would leave for their honeymoon in Hawaii.

"And we're going to get cookies and milk for Santa, right?" Nico asked very concerned that they would forget.

They had already explained to him that this year they would not be able to make cookies for Santa, but they would be sure to go to the store to buy some.

"No sir, we will not forget the milk and cookies!" Brittany said pretending to be aghast. "That's one of the most important parts!"

Nico sighed in relief, and then yawned again. He was exhausted, but he was forcing himself to stay awake. He didn't want to miss out on anything.

"Alright, it's time for bed." Brittany said and kissed Nico's cheeks one more time before handing him over to Pierce.

"Goodnight girls." Pierce said adjusting Nico in his hold on his lap. He waited to stand up because he wanted to give them time to leave for their room first.

"We'll see you tomorrow whenever you decide to get up." Maribel said.

They weren't planning to go sledding until one o'clock, so Santana and Brittany could have their first morning as a married couple to themselves to sleep in and have a late breakfast in bed.

"Alright, see you all tomorrow." Brittany said and took Santana's hand into her own.

"Night." Santana said and waved her hand.

Nico waved back, but he didn't say anything. He was fading fast.

Santana and Brittany walked to their room, the room that Brittany had slept in the night before, and they both felt a pep in their step, as they were eager to have time to themselves. When they got to the room, the door was already unlocked. The bridal party had moved Santana's stuff from her mother's room into Brittany's room during the reception, and then after the reception, Marcus made sure to unlock the door and leave the key to the room on the nightstand, so they wouldn't have to worry about keeping up with the key.

Brittany opened the door and then playfully scooped Santana into her arms.

Santana giggled as Brittany carried her bridal style into the room. "I thought you were supposed to do this over our threshold at home."

Brittany just leaned in and kissed Santana softly. When she pulled back, she whispered, "I plan on carrying you over as many thresholds as I can."

"Such a romantic." Santana cooed. She loved it when Brittany picked her up.

"Mm-hmm." Brittany hummed and kissed Santana again as she stepped into the room, gently kicked the door shut with her foot, and blindly walked towards the bed.

When they finally broke apart from the kiss, Brittany set Santana down on her feet and took a moment to look at her in her wedding dress. She suddenly felt sentimental because with the exception of their wedding pictures, she would probably never see Santana in a wedding dress again. She reached her hand out and felt the satin and lace material.

"This is a beautiful dress, and I can't even think of enough words to describe how beautiful you are right now." Brittany said with a little smile.

Santana's cheeks heated up from the compliment. "I think you're beautiful too."

"I almost hate to take this off you." Brittany said.

Santana chuckled. "But you're going to anyways."

Brittany playfully rolled her eyes. "Duh…as much as I adore you in this dress, I can't wait to make love to my wife." She said and her whole body tingled as she said, "my wife."

Santana hummed and moved closer to Brittany, wrapping her arms around her neck. She nuzzled her nose with Brittany's and then whispered, "Then I suggest you start taking this dress off me, because your wife really wants to make love to you too."

Brittany let out a muffled whimper as Santana's lips closed around her bottom lip. She immediately deepened the kiss and reached back, unzipping Santana's dress and unhooking her bra. Santana did the same, and when they parted, they each stepped out of their dresses and their heels.

Santana picked their dresses off the floor and draped them on top of each other on the table and chairs by the window, but as she turned around, Brittany took her by surprise and playfully picked her up again.

Santana yelped in excitement just before Brittany kissed her. She wrapped her arms and legs around her as she carried her to the bed.

Brittany pressed her knee into the mattress, breaking the kiss briefly as she laid Santana down. She slipped off Santana's thong and then quickly removed her own before she got into bed, lying beside Santana, cupping her cheeks, and kissing her. Santana moaned, deepening the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Brittany, tangled their legs together, and pulled her into her.

Brittany's hands were the first to start roaming, but Santana's quickly followed. For several minutes, they kissed as if they were teenagers again…it was fast, wet, and hot. It was as if they couldn't get enough, both insatiable for the other.

It seemed as if nothing would slow down their heated makeout, until Santana slipped her leg upward and pressed her thigh into Brittany's pulsing center, causing her to break the kiss as she moaned loudly into the room, her hips instinctually rolling into Santana's thigh.

After a few moments of riding Santana's thigh, Brittany knew that if this continued, she was not going to last much longer, and she was not yet ready to reach her peak, so she gripped Santana's hip with her hand and rolled her over so she was now on top of her. She sat up, straddling her hips and looking down at Santana.

Santana's chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath, and looked up at Brittany. She knew exactly what she was trying to do. She thought it was a good idea to slow down as well, so she reached up and cupped both of her breasts with her hands, causing Brittany to whimper.

She loved Brittany's breasts. They were so beautiful, and round, and inviting…they practically begged her to touch them. They just drove her wild at times because for the first fourteen months of their relationship, she couldn't touch them because of Brittany's pregnancy and nursing, but as soon as the nursing was over, and Brittany's breasts were not as sensitive, Santana was finally able to touch and kiss them, and she instantly found herself in heaven. She took every opportunity to touch them that she could.

Santana watched Brittany close her eyes and tilt her head back as her hands palmed and kneaded her breasts. She knew she wasn't the only one that loved it when she played with Brittany breasts; Brittany loved it too.

Brittany couldn't help but to purr as Santana's hands moved over her. Her hands gripped Santana's thighs holding herself steady, until she felt Santana's hands leave her chest and slide down her sides to her waist. She opened her eyes to see Santana sit up and pull her closer to her. Brittany, who had been straddling Santana's legs, lowered herself so she was now in Santana's lap.

They stared at each other as Santana slid her hands up Brittany's body again, this time passing teasingly her over chest, and came to rest in her mussed hair, tilting her head down towards her. Santana nuzzled their noses together, whispering, "I love you," before kissing Brittany's lips softly, as she whispered that she loved her as well.

They kissed sweetly for a few moments, before Santana pulled out of the kiss, nuzzling her nose with Brittany's again, and then she began a slow line of kisses, starting on Brittany's chin, down the length of her neck, across her collarbone, and down her chest to her breasts. With the way that Brittany was sitting in her lap, and the height difference between them, Brittany's breasts were at the perfect level for her mouth. She rested her left hand on Brittany's hip to hold her in place, then as she cupped her left breast with her right hand, and just before she took her right nipple into her mouth, she flitted her eyes upwards and smiled at her knowingly.

Brittany couldn't help the moan that came out of her as Santana's mouth closed around her pert nipple and flicked it with her tongue. She closed her eyes as she buried her hands into Santana's hair, intent on keeping her there for a while. She whimpered and writhed as Santana cherished her breasts, alternating between her hands and sucking and teasing each nipple with her tongue.

Then when Santana knew that Brittany was thoroughly wound tight, she slid her hand that was on Brittany's hip in-between her legs and ran her fingers through her slick folds.

Brittany moaned loudly, tightening her grip on Santana's hair and arching her back as Santana's fingers rubbed against her and she lightly grazed her nipple with her teeth. Then when Santana pushed two of her fingers into her, Brittany almost lost her balance. She moved her hands out of Santana's hair and held on to her shoulders as she moved her hips in time with Santana's fingers.

"Fuck…yes, keeeep goooo-ing!" Brittany drawled between her whimpers and moans.

Santana loved that Brittany was so vocal during sex and it spurred her to move her fingers a little faster and harder. She kept a steady pace, curling her fingers, and making sure that the heel of her hand bumped into Brittany's throbbing clit.

Brittany cries of ecstasy echoed around the room, and the closer she got to her peak, the louder she became.

Then, without warning, Santana removed her mouth from Brittany's breast and her hand from between her legs and moved them forward, laying Brittany down with her head pointing towards the foot of bed. She kissed Brittany's lips, taking just a few moments to kiss her before she broke away from her lips and slid down her body, running her hands and lips down Brittany's torso to her center. She smiled to herself before she circled Brittany's sensitive clit with her tongue and she took the nub into her mouth, sucking hard.

Brittany cried out, gripping the comforter as she rolled her hips upwards. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany's thighs to hold her in place before she released the nub in her mouth and flattened her tongue against her, making long, broad strokes, up and down her core, flicking her clit with her tongue every time.

It didn't take long before Brittany's whole body seized and she completely fell apart, her orgasm hitting her hard. Santana continued to move her tongue against Brittany, lapping her wetness as she rolled through her orgasm. When Brittany started to come down, Santana flicked her tongue on Brittany's clit one last time, causing her to yelp and twitch before she slid up a bit, wrapped her arms around her, and rested her head on Brittany's stomach as she recovered.

As Brittany's breathing started to return to normal, Santana placed a few soft kisses to Brittany's stomach. She glanced up to find Brittany looking back at her and they both started to giggle.

"Wow." Brittany said, still giggling.

Santana nodded. "I know."

"That was hot."

"Mm-hmm…and loud." Santana teased.

Brittany playfully rolled her eyes. "You loved it."

"I did." Santana cooed.

"And I couldn't help it; you were amazing."

Santana smiled proudly and moved up further so her whole body was now on top of Brittany. Brittany slid her hands down Santana's back and rested them in the nook of her lower back. Santana leaned in and kissed Brittany, their tongues meeting and instantly deepening the kiss.

As they kissed, Brittany moved her hands from Santana's back to her waist, rolling them over so she was now on top. "Now, _Mrs. Lopez-Pierce_ …" Brittany said breathily and nipped Santana's lip, "It's my turn to have my way with you."

Brittany's words, the look in her eyes, and the smirk on her face told Santana that Brittany was planning to reduce her into the same panting mess that she had just been, which caused the knot that was low in her abdomen to tighten and her already aching center to throb.

Brittany had barely touched her lips to Santana's before the embrace intensified into another heated kiss. They kissed, writhing against each other as Santana pressed her center into Brittany's thigh so she could create some friction between her legs. She was dying for Brittany to touch her. When she felt Brittany start to pull away from the kiss, Santana caught her bottom lip, tugging on it before releasing it and turning her head to where Brittany's hand had been on her check, licking one of her fingers.

Usually, Brittany liked to tease Santana a little while they were having sex. She loved watching it work Santana up, but when Santana took two of her fingers into her mouth, Brittany felt a twitch in-between her own legs and lost all thoughts of teasing her, she just wanted to make her come.

As soon as Santana released Brittany's fingers from her mouth, Brittany kissed her again, and snaked her hand with the wet fingers down Santana's body to her center. She slipped them through Santana already soaked folds and pushed them inside her.

Santana moaned into Brittany's mouth, bucking her hips up into her hand as Brittany began to pump her hand back and forth.

After a few moments, Brittany pulled away from Santana's lips and kissed down her jaw to her neck, backing herself down Santana's body as she continued to push her fingers in and out of her. She left a wet, slightly sloppy trail of kisses as she moved downward, stopping at her chest to give her breasts some attention. She flicked and sucked each nipple, causing Santana to moan and cry out into the room.

Brittany played with Santana's breasts for a little while, winding her up more and more, but she didn't want her to come yet, so she tore herself away from them and continued her trail of kisses down Santana's torso towards her lower abdomen. She settled between Santana's legs, pushing them just a little further apart with her shoulders, and propping herself up on her elbow as she used her free hand to spread her folds so she had better access to her sensitive nub. She curled her fingers inside Santana as she pulled her hand back, and as she arched her back and raised her hips, Brittany closed her lips around Santana clit, sucking as she circled it with her tongue.

"Har-der!" Santana stuttered after a few moments and she tangled her fingers into Brittany's hair.

Brittany happily obliged her demand by moving her fingers faster and adding a little more pressure on her clit with her tongue.

"Yes, that's it." Santana moaned, tightening her fists and her hold on Brittany's hair.

Within seconds, Santana's inner walls closed around Brittany's fingers, then with a few well-placed flicks of Brittany's tongue, Santana couldn't hold on anymore and she moaned long and loud as she tumbled over the edge.

Brittany flitted her eyes upwards as she continued to work so she could see Santana's face as the effects of her orgasm flowed through her, and she didn't stop until Santana fell to the bed, panting. She pulled her fingers out of Santana and then pushed herself up so she was lying next to her on her side. She wrapped her arm around Santana's abdomen, holding her tightly, and every few seconds she placed soft kisses to either Santana's cheek or temple as she came down from her high.

When Santana's breathing returned to normal, she turned her head and caught Brittany's lips before she could kiss her cheek. They kissed sweetly for a few moments and when they broke apart, they rested their foreheads together.

"I love you." Brittany whispered.

"I love you too." Santana whispered back.

Brittany nuzzled her nose with Santana's and then kissed the tip of her nose, causing her to giggle.

"That tickled." Santana cooed and then a few beats later, she yawned. The adrenalin of the day was finally wearing off and she was starting to feel sleepy.

Brittany yawned as well. She too was starting to get tired. "We should take a quick shower before we go to sleep."

Santana nodded but turned towards Brittany, cuddling into her a little more. "I just want to cuddle for a few more minutes."

Brittany chuckled. She could have guessed that Santana was going to say that. Santana was the biggest cuddler that she knew. "Sure thing, honey. I'm always down for some cuddles with my _wife_."

Santana smiled. She couldn't get enough of hearing Brittany referring to her as 'wife'.

They laid together for almost fifteen minutes before Brittany started to nod off, and she jerked herself awake. She knew if they laid there much longer, they'd both be asleep, and she really wanted to take a shower because she knew that they would sleep better if they did.

"Come on, honey." Brittany cooed and kissed Santana on top of her head.

Santana had tucked her face into Brittany's neck and she had fallen asleep several minutes ago, but she opened her eyes when Brittany cupped her cheek and kissed her lips. It was her favorite way to wake up.

They both sat up; Santana was rubbing her eyes when she heard Brittany laugh.

"Whassofunny?" She drawled sleepily, running her words together.

Brittany pointed to the head of the bed, where their feet currently were and the pillows had been strewn about, several of the decorative pillows had been kicked off the bed and were now on the floor, and the few things that were on the nightstands on either side of the bed had also been disturbed by the pillows. The comforter that they had been lying on was no longer crisp and tidy, it was wrinkled, slanted, and coming up in places.

Santana couldn't help but to chuckle and she shrugged her shoulders. "It looks like we had a good time."

Brittany nodded. "Mm-hmm, probably the first of many beds we are going to completely dishevel between now and the end of our honeymoon."

Santana snorted in amusement. She loved it when Brittany made blunt comments to her about their active sex life. "We better be careful we don't break a bed or pop a hip."

"Pssh, na-uh, we are totally breaking a bed. For sure." Brittany said matter-of-factly getting out of bed and held her hand out for Santana.

Santana just chuckled again as Brittany helped her stand. "I can't wait."

-()-()-()-()-

 **A/N** : They're finally married! And yes, you did see a little 'Wynonna Earp' mention in there. In case you were wondering, Brittany and Santana are shippers just like the rest of us, and they love them some 'Wynonna Earp' and WayHaught, (as do I, btw.)

This was originally going to be the last chapter; it was supposed to be a two-part epilogue in one chapter, but since I can't write small, I'll have to break it up into two chapters. **Keep an eye out for one more chapter from this verse!**

I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. That was not my plan. My Christmas fic from last year put this on the back burner for a little while, and then my life just got so busy that I haven't had time to write as much as I'd like. My beta, on top of being busy as well, has been sick for the past couple of weeks, and had to have a surgery, so it took her some time to feel well enough to do it, but she still managed to beta for me, so send her some fandom love to help her feel better.

Thank you to those who are still reading. I know it's not many of you anymore, but I do appreciate your continued support! If you get a chance, please send me your thoughts!

To my beta, **naynay1963** , you are the best!

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Glee' or any copyrighted material or products that are mentioned in this story.


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